She's got me twisted
by NaaGil3aby
Summary: It's been a year since Lucy returned to Fairy Tail High and things seem to have changed quite abit. there were many unfamiliar faces, specifically one that caught her attention, Natsu Dragneel, one of the biggest flirts in school. What's gonna happen when the 2 meet? Will Lucy be able to handle all the drama or is her love life going downhill?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

" _Mom, can I please go back to Fairy Tail High for my senior year? It's been so long and I miss my friends so much! I want to spend that important year with them!" the beautiful blonde begged her mother for probably the 600th time._

 _Layla sighed, "I guess I don't have a choice. But you have to promise me that you'll be able to take care of yourself! Your father and I are going to be worried sick without our baby with us."_

" _Don't worry, Mom. I'm turning 16 soon and I'm independent as heck!"_

It's been a little less than a year since Lucy Heartfillia flew overseas to assist her father with his company's work even though she was only at a tender age of 15 back then. Probably because she had inherited her Mother's brains, and not to mention her looks as well. Lucy grew up being fed with a silver spoon. Anything she wanted, she could get. Countless servants around the mansion waiting on her like a princess, having the best clothes to wear and the best food to eat. But despite all that, Lucy's character was never spoilt. She was probably the most down-to-earth rich girls you would know in this century. And here she was, back in a small town named Magnolia which she spent most of her childhood in with her cozy little apartment, just enough to fit her and her dog, Plue. It definitely couldn't compare to that humongous mansion she used to live in, but she was contented.

"Oh no I'm going to be late!" Lucy screamed as she clumsily put on her shoes, "If I'm late on my first day back at Fairy Tail High it's going to be so embarrassing." She had her trademark side ponytail tied with a blue ribbon, her uniform consisting of a beige vest, blue and white striped tie, a white inner shirt and lastly, a short grey skirt that stops at the middle of her oh-so-perfect and slim thighs.

"Be good at home okay? I'll be back once school is over to play with you!" Lucy gave Plue a tight hug before leaving and the white-furred puppy barked in response. With that, Lucy swiftly ran out of her apartment with a piece of bread in her mouth, not very glamorous. She walked along the streets of Magnolia, glancing at all the familiar buildings that she used to walk past every morning. She missed this. "I can't wait to see all of my friends again," Lucy whispered to herself.

Just as she was in her own little daydream while munching on her breakfast, a boy wearing the same uniform as her walked past her. It was a mere 5 seconds. But 5 seconds was all she needed to admire this dashing young man. She stopped in her tracks and stared at him. He had really unusual salmon-colored hair and dreamy black orbs that would make any girl swoon, a slim yet muscular build with the perfect height. Oh boy, he was handsome, handsome enough to make Lucy's knees feel weak. "Now that's what I call eyecandy."

The boy seemed to notice Lucy staring at him. He paused for a moment to give her a small smile, and walked off just like that. Lucy could feel her face getting hot, "Oh my god what am I thinking? Snap out of it Lucy!" she talked to herself once again. Lucy hurriedly continued her short walk to school after getting her shit together.

* * *

"LUUUUUU-CHAAAAAAAAN!" Levy pounced onto Lucy as if a million years went by since she last saw her. "I missed you so much! All of us did!" Levy said as she started crying.

"It's so good to have you back, Lucy. I felt so empty without you," Erza shed a tear and wiped it away with her finger with a smile.

"I missed you guys so much too! I can't believe I'm finally back in Fairy Tail High," Lucy hugged her friends tightly.

"Okay let's settle all this back in class, we're going to be late," Erza exclaimed as she looked at the clock.

As the trio walked down the hallways, Lucy noticed that the school has changed a lot in just a year and there were many unfamiliar faces as well. _Wow it's so different, I missed this place._ Lucy smiled to herself as she was immersed in her own thoughts, only being happy that she was finally back here, in Fairy Tail High. Erza noticed and asked "What are you smiling about, Lucy?"

"I just really missed all of you and I'm so glad to be back, being able to spend my senior year with you guys, my best friends." Lucy sounded as if she was going to cry. Erza and Levy both gave her a soft smile.

"Thank god we're all in the same class, I wouldn't survive class without the both of you by my side!" Levy said.

"Oh well, best friends have to stick together!" Lucy said.

As they walked into their classroom, Erza said, "Lucy, we saved a seat for you."

"Thanks guys," she took a seat beside Levy while her homeroom teacher, Mr Gildarts, walked into the classroom clumsily carrying a ton of books. _Oh Mr Gildarts, how much I missed him. I remember how he was always a joker with his students._ Mr Gildarts cleared his throat and said, "As all of you know, we have a new student with us today. Actually not very new as she was a student here a year ago and now she's back! Please introduce yourself."

Lucy stood up nervously to introduce herself, "H-Hi everyone, I'm Lucy Heartfillia. Nice to meet you all and please take care of me!" As soon as she said that, whispers started going around the classroom.

"Wow she's really hot."

"She looks so pretty!"

"That figure just screams perfect."

Mr Gildarts coughed multiple times to silence the class and get their attention. "All of you please stop gawking at her and pay attention to me instead as class is starting soon, thank you!" Lucy heaved a big sigh of relief as Mr Gildarts somehow saved the day with his goofy self. Those whispers were making her insecure. As Lucy sat back down, she heard a voice from her left going, "Hey Lucy."

Lucy turned her head and noticed a guy beside her with bright orange hair and hazel eyes. He had a face straight out of a magazine. With the light shining directly on him from the window, he looked like he just descended from heaven or something. _Since when did Fairy Tail High have so many hot guys?_

"Name's Loke," he said with a huge grin.

"Hi there, Loke. Nice to meet you!" Lucy responded with a sweet smile and she was sure she saw a slight tint of pink on Loke's cheeks.

"I see you're getting quite a lot of attention," Loke laughed.

"W-What? I-It's nothing to be really impressed about!" Lucy started waving her hands in the air.

"You sure are humble," Loke remarked.

"Oh my, school's finally over!" Levy said as she yawned and stretched her hands high up in the air.

* * *

"School is supposed to be something you enjoy! Learning new things everyday, participating in new activities and making new friends-"

"Yes yes council president," Levy cut Erza off with a giggle. "By the way Lu-chan, do you want to watch the soccer match later on at the field? There's going to be many hot guys playing!"

"I thought you were only interested in metal face? With his Shooby Doo Bop," Erza questioned.

Levy's face turned a bright shade of red. "W-what metal face? Who says I'm interested in Gajeel?!"

"Levy, is there something you haven't been updating me on?" Lucy smirked creepily at her blue-haired friend.

"N-no there isn't! So do you want to watch the soccer match, Lu-chan? And Erza too!"

"I definitely wouldn't mind." The both of them said.

* * *

Lucy, Levy and Erza sat at the side of the field, watching the soccer players do their thing.

"So Lu-chan, I saw Loke talking to you in class just now."

"Yeah, what about it?" Lucy looked puzzled.

"Do you think he's interested in you?" Levy's eyes suddenly had a certain sparkle in them as she grinned at Lucy.

"T-That's impossible! We just met so how could he be interested in me? And besides, he is so good looking."

"Oh Lucy, you're such a child." Erza said as she took a small bite of her favourite strawberry cheesecake.

"You never know, Lu-chan. But you aren't too shabby yourself! It's only your first day back and there's already so many guys ogling their eyes at you, I think some were even drooling while trying to get your number."

Lucy laughed nervously as she cringed at the thought of guys drooling at her. _Gross._

"Oh, Lu-chan! Speak of the devil, isn't that Loke right there?" Levy pointed towards the goal on the field.

"Where? I don't see him!" Lucy shifted her body around whilst in search for Loke. But instead, a certain salmon-haired boy caught her eye. Her eyes widened when she saw him kicking the ball across the field. _Isn't that the guy I saw this morning?_

"Oh my god." Lucy said out loud to herself.

"What's wrong, Lu-chan?"

Lucy noticed what she just said and started to blush really hard. "N-Nothing! N-Nothing's wrong!"

Levy gave her a really puzzled look, but turned her head back to the field to watch the games.

"H-Hey Erza, who's the boy with the salmon-coloured hair?" Lucy asked nervously.

"Oh that guy? His name is Natsu Dragneel."

"Super popular soccer player with countless girls swooning over him and writing him love letters every day. His grades are not bad too. It's kind of crazy. He transferred in after you left. Why do you ask though, Lu-chan?"

"O-Oh I just think he's kind of cute." Lucy started shifting her body nervously and awkwardly.

"I'm not surprised, he is quite the attractive guy. But Jellal is better." Erza giggled.

"You and your Jellal again." Levy sighed.

"I'm glad that you and Jellal are happy together, Erza. It's been 2 years and your relationship with him is still going strong!" Lucy smiled brightly, being happy for her friend in love.

"Of course we are." Erza said shyly. "Jellal and Natsu are good friends by the way, along with the other popular guys."

"I see." Lucy said as she looked back at Natsu who looked like he was having the time of his life on the field. _He really is dreamy._

"He has a girlfriend though."

.

.

.

"Well, that escalated quickly." Erza broke the silence.

"H-He does?" Lucy's face fell.

"They have been lovey-dovey for about 2 months now. But I wouldn't be surprised if they break up soon, relationships with Natsu don't usually last very long." Levy said, clearly annoyed.

Lucy looked back at Natsu and saw him walking towards a pretty silver-haired girl who quickly embraced him in a hug even though he was all sweaty. _Is it just me, or Natsu doesn't look very happy?_

"Is that his girlfriend?" Lucy asked her 2 best friends.

"Yeah, Lisanna. Popular cheerleader. I heard that she's really mean." Levy replied.

In the middle of their conversation, they noticed a familiar figure running towards them.

"Hi Lucy!" Loke said as he stood panting infront of her.

"H-Hi Loke, what are you doing here?" Lucy asked. Levy and Erza stared at Loke suspiciously.

"I-I just wanted to come over and say hi." Loke scratched the back of his head nervously. "Oh Lucy! Since you're 'new' here, do you want to come say hi to some of my friends? Erza and Levy come along too!"

"Sure, I'd love too." Lucy signaled to Erza and Levy to come along with her so it wouldn't be so awkward.

They strolled to the field while Loke ran over to his group of friends, some being very familiar.

"Hey guys, this is Lucy!" Loke happily introduced her.

"It's been long, Lucy." One of the boys walked towards her.

"Oh my gosh, Gray! It's been so long!" Lucy ran over to him to give him a hug.

"So you're Lucy? Erza and Levy are always talking about you."

Lucy turned to face the salmon-haired boy and blushed a little bit.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Natsu Dragneel." Natsu held his hand out.

"Nice to meet you too!" Lucy responded with a nervous hand shake and Natsu gave her the cutest grin she has ever seen.

"You look really familiar, have we met?" Natsu asked.

"We saw each other this morning! S-Somewhere outside school."

"Oh! I remember now! So you were that girl-"

And suddenly, the silver-haired girl cut in between them. "I'm Lisanna!"

"N-Nice to meet you." Lucy smiled but she was annoyed on the inside. _Why did she just cut into our conversation?_

"Natsu, we probably should be heading back now! It's getting late and you're tired!" Lisanna proceeded to dragging Natsu away by the arm out of the field.

"See you guys again some other time!" Natsu shouted to the group while waving his hands cheerfully.

"They're always so lovey-dovey." Gray remarked and couldn't help but laugh.

 _Hmm, Natsu Dragneel. He's an interesting guy isn't he?_

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **Hi guys ! sorry if the first chapter is a little boring with not much adventure going on but I promise more will be coming in the next chapter ^~^ thanks for reading this fic and please leave some good reviews so I can make some changes accordingly !**

 **Edit: if some of you noticed, I changed the summary of the story a little bit because I decided to add some twists to it to make it more fun hehe so stay tuned for the upcoming chapters guys! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"i can't wait to eat my lunch." Lucy's stomach growled as if she hadn't eaten in years.

"i'm going to get my strawberry cheesecake for sure." Erza put her fist up and her eyes sparkled brightly.

"is the strawberry cheesecake that good?" Lucy questioned as the three of them made their way to the school's cafeteria.

"it's amazing, Lu-chan! I have to agree with Erza for this one." Levy said, almost drooling just thinking about her lunch.

They went on to take their food in the cafeteria, and it was crowded as always.

"How are we going to find seats with this many people?" Lucy sighed, when she heard a voice call out to her.

"Yo Lucy, Erza and Levy! Come sit with us! We have extra seats!" Loke called out to the trio while waving his arm high up in the air.

They walked towards the table with Loke, Gray, Jellal and Gajeel. But they noticed that someone was missing.

"Eh? Where's Natsu?" Levy asked as they sat down.

Gray pointed towards one of the tables at the side of the cafeteria, where Natsu was sitting with a bunch of girls around him and chatting happily. _What a flirt._ Lucy looked around at the bunch of girls with Natsu and she noticed that Lisanna wasn't there. _That's strange._

"He's always been popular with the ladies." Jellal said to Lucy.

"Does he do this everyday?" Lucy seemed annoyed.

"Almost, usually when he's in a good mood. But despite what he looks and does, he's actually not an asshole." Gray said.

"He is still a really great friend to us." Loke smiled.

"Aren't you really popular with the girls as well, Loke?" Erza teased him while using her elbow to nudge him.

"But you're not a flirt at all." Lucy said.

"Well, flirting just isn't really my thing." Loke laughed nervously as he turned around to look at this group of girls sneakily peaking at him.

"Tch." was all Gajeel said as he took humongous bites of his lunch at one go.

Levy looked at him and blushed a little, then looking away nervously and trying not to have eye contact. Lucy noticed and giggled to herself. _Someone's in love._

"It's only been a year since I left and you all look so different already!" Lucy said in awe.

"A year is definitely enough for puberty to do it's job, especially for Loke. Did you know that when he transferred in last year he was still really chubby? He would always bring snacks to school and secretly eat them in class when the teacher's aren't looking!" Gray exclaimed as he laughed really loudly with his mouth still full of food.

"H-Hey Gray!" Loke tried to cover Gray's mouth to stop him from revealing anymore.

"I have a picture of Loke when he was younger in my phone, Lu-chan!"

"Really? I wanna see!"

"Oh shit my life is over." Loke said as he covered his face embarrassingly.

Lucy took Levy's phone to see a really cute chubby middle school boy holding an ice cream cone with three scoops of ice cream to go with it. "Wow you were so cute, Loke!"

"Y-You think so?"

Just then she thought, _wait a minute. This boy looks oddly familiar. Have I seen him before?_ Lucy glanced at Loke at then back to the picture multiple times. She gasped.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Erza inquired.

"Loke, were you from Sabertooth Middle School?" Lucy leaned forward and Loke nodded.

She knew it. It was him. This was the guy that Lucy cruelly rejected three times in a row back in middle school when he was head over heels in love with her! Why didn't she notice earlier? Lucy mentally slapped herself with guilt rising up her chest. _Oh shit._

"Do you remember me now, Lucy?" Loke asked with a huge smile spread across his perfect face.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier it was you?" Lucy replied in shock with the rest of their friends glancing back and forth at the both of them questionably.

"I wanted to give you a surprise!"

Loke didn't seem to remember the rejection, maybe he did, but he didn't want to mention it since it was so long ago. Lucy placed her palm on her face and sighed. Y _eah, puberty really does do a great job. Could my senior year get any more interesting?_

* * *

After a few hours, it was finally time for gym class, their last class for the day. The 3 best friends slowly made their way to the sports hall, pretty hesitantly, after changing into their gym clothes. When Lucy entered the sports hall, the first thing she noticed was a certain salmon-haired boy standing in the middle of the hall. He slowly ran his fingers through his ever so perfect hair, subtly trying to fix it. Lucy couldn't help but notice Natsu's toned arms that were covered in sweat from his workout, there were obvious veins on the back of his hand as well. _How does he look good so effortlessly?_

"Lucy, your face is red." Lucy noticed Erza's face merely just 3 inches away from her's, looking at her with a suspicious expression.

Lucy quickly backed away in embarrassment. "I-It's r-really hot in here!"

Erza and Levy looked at her, puzzled. But then decided to mind their own business and started helping the gym teacher with setting up the equipment for their activity. Lucy heaved a big sigh of relief. _That was close._

"Alright class! Today we will be doing high jumps! I'm pretty sure you all know how to do it so I can't be bothered to demonstrate. Let's get started go go!" Ms Aquarius shouted.

"Why is her name Aquarius?"

"Does she think she's a horoscope?"

"She does have mermaid hair though."

Lucy could hear whispers behind her and just thinking about Aquarius sent shivers down her spine. Ms Aquarius was a scary one, you would not wanna piss her off unless you're prepared to get drowned by her in the school's swimming pool.

After many turns of high jumps, it was finally Lucy's. She stood infront of the starting line, shifting her feet to get ready.

"You can do it, Lu-tan!"

"Jump will all your might, Lucy-pyon!"

Lucy heard her fanboys cheering her on from the side of the hall and cringed in disgust as she heard the names they were calling her. _This is embarrassing._

She paced herself and then she took off, sprinting towards the pole and jumping as high as she could. She landed on the mat perfectly and all of her classmates started clapping for her. But in a split second, Lucy lost her balance and fell off the mat. She crashed onto the floor with a loud thud. "Oww... That hurt." She rubbed her back with her hand.

"Woah, are you okay?"

Lucy looked up just to see Natsu squatting infront of her and giving off a look of concern.

"Y-Yeah, I'm good!" she quickly got up and brushed the dust off her clothes.

Natsu raised a brow. "Are you sure? Your elbow is bleeding."

He grabbed Lucy's arm to take a look and she noticed blood oozing out from her badly bruised elbow. She pulled her arm away to release it from Natsu's grab. "Oh no!"

"That was a good jump though, Luce." Natsu said with a grin.

 _Luce?_

"Thank you, Natsu." Lucy said shyly while looking away.

"Lu-chan! Are you alright?" Levy and Erza came rushing over.

"Your elbow is bleeding! We better take you to the nurse's room, come on!"

"Guys, it's no big deal-" Lucy couldn't finish and Erza started dragging her away.

* * *

"Seriously, Lucy. You are so careless!" Erza scolded.

"I'm really sorry, Erza."

Lucy watched as the nurse started to bandage her elbow and the memory of Natsu grabbing her arm and praising her came to her head. _I shouldn't be thinking of that. He has a girlfriend! It probably didn't have a special meaning anyway._

Lucy decided to brush that aside.

* * *

Natsu walked back to where Gray was seated and fell onto the floor. "Gosh I'm exhausted."

Gray started at Natsu for awhile. "So what was up with you back there?"

"What do you mean?"

"You praised Lucy." Gray had a baffled expression.

"So what?" Natsu asked innocently.

"You don't usually praise girls, do you? Do you like Lucy?" Gray smirked.

"No freaking way. I was just trying to save her from the embarrassment of falling." Natsu said as he ruffled his hair full of sweat, seemingly oblivious to Gray's teasing.

"Sure Natsu, sure." _This flamebrain can't get any denser._

* * *

Lucy threw her school bag onto the couch and lay beside it. Plue jumped onto the couch beside her and started cuddling with her.

"Today totally drained me, Plue." Lucy patted her furry friend's head.

"What? You want me to take you for a walk? But I'm so tired!" Plue started barking continuously so Lucy realized she had no choice.

"Alright alright. After I take a bath, okay?"

By the time Lucy took a bath and procrastinated for awhile, it was already 7pm when she finally got her ass up and decided to take Plue for a walk down the neighbourhood.

"It's really dark outside already, isn't it Plue?" Lucy looked down at the panting Plue as they roamed the quiet streets of Magnolia.

She walked Plue to a nearby playground and sat down on the swing. "I miss Mom and Dad, Plue. Do you?" Plue just wagged his tail in response.

Lucy just sighed, and looked up to the stars. _I honestly do feel kinda lonely when I'm at home. I wish there was someone I could spend time with._ "Well, at least I got you Plue!" Lucy smiled.

All of a sudden, Lucy noticed a small creature running towards her and Plue started barking furiously. She held Plue down and signaled him to stay quiet. She walked towards the creature, being careful to not scare it away. "A cat?"

Lucy picked the animal up and sat on the swing once again. "Wow it has blue fur! Look Plue!"

"Happy! Where are you? Happy!"

Lucy could hear the voice of a male in the distance and the person that came running over to her definitely wasn't someone that she expected.

"N-Natsu Dragneel..."

"Oh if it isn't Luce! What are you doing here?"

"I was taking Plue for a walk."

Natsu looked to what she had in her arms. "That's my cat, Happy, by the way."

"O-Oh r-really? I'm so sorry, I thought it was stray." She handed the cat back to it's owner.

Just then, Natsu took a seat on the other swing beside Lucy. "Happy and I have always been best buds! But he ran away this time because I refused to feed him."

Lucy just let out a nervous laugh, not knowing how to respond as there were a million things going through her head right now.

"Where's your girlfriend?" she asked as she started looking around her awkwardly.

"We broke up."

"W-What? When?! And why?!" Lucy was extremely astonished. _So Levy's prediction was true!_

"You sure like to ask a lot of questions huh." Natsu stared at Lucy with an unreadable expression.

"You don't have to answer me, sorry I asked. But you don't seem upset at all." Lucy muttered under her breath, but loud enough for Natsu to hear.

"Well, in the first place, I didn't really like her. So what's there to be upset about?"

 _What is up with this guy? He dated a girl that he didn't even like? He is the definition of asshole._

"How could you do that?! She seemed to really like you and you were just playing with her?" Lucy raised her voiced.

"Hmm, more like I was bored." Natsu said without even looking like he was guilty.

 _What the heck? This guy is getting on my nerves._

"I DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE SUCH A JERK! YOU'RE THE WORST!" Lucy shouted as she picked Plue up and ran back to her apartment.

Natsu watched her run away, completely clueless about what just happened. "What's her problem?"

 _Why was I so angry? Why did I get so worked up? I don't even like Natsu! His problems are none of my business! But why? Didn't Gray say that he wasn't an asshole?_

Millions of questions ran through Lucy's mind at once, questioning herself and her own judgment.

 _I can't believe I actually thought he was nice! Ugh player!_

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **Hi readers! thanks for reading chpt 2 and i hope u like it! stay tuned for the next one :)**

 **if there are any suggestions and improvements y'all think i should make please leave a review! thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Yo Lu-chan! Do you mind if Erza and I visit your apartment today?" Levy asked excitingly.

"Of course not! But it's a little messy since I've been too lazy to clean for the past few days." Lucy said, a little embarrassed.

"It's alright, we can help you tidy up!" Erza said while placing her arm over Lucy's shoulder.

"And we can have our own private girls' talk and talk about boys!" Levy said while putting her hands together.

"Thank you guys." Lucy smiled and reached her hand into her bag. She realized something was missing. _Where's my water bottle?_

She stood up from her seat and said, "I'm going to the vending machine to buy a drink. I'll be back soon!"

Lucy walked down the hallways of Fairy Tail High and started thinking about what had happened recently.

It's been a week since she and Natsu had their 'little chat' at the playground and she hasn't seen him since then. She was still upset about it, about what he was really like, because she thought otherwise. She stood in front of the vending machine and slot her coins into it whilst still immersed in her own thoughts. _I feel so deceived by his looks. I mean, who doesn't like a good looking guy? But those perfect looks are wasted on a guy like him. If only his looks and maybe Loke's personality merged together. Loke is handsome too but... oh god what am I thinking?! Snap out of it Lucy!_

She shook her head from side to side and pressed on the button labelled 'ice lemon tea'. _Well, at least I haven't bumped into Natsu these days._

"Hey look it's Luce!"

Lucy's entire body froze as she heard that voice and she hesitantly turned her head around. No doubt, it was Natsu walking towards her with Gajeel beside him.

"Haven't seen you in awhile!" Natsu said with his usual toothy grin.

"Y-Yea... same." Lucy looked away nervously.

"Oh! You like ice lemon tea?"

"It's my favourite."

"Same here!" Natsu seemed to be in a good mood today. Lucy just laugh nervously in response.

As Lucy was about to walk away, Natsu suddenly asked, "What are you doing after school today?" as he slot coins into the vending machine.

 _What's up with him?_ Lucy thought as she started blushing. "Levy and Erza are coming over to my apartment."

"Woah! Can I come too?"

Lucy's face turned even redder with a stunned expression. "W-What? N-No! Of course not! No!" Lucy shouted and she scurried away from them back to her classroom. Natsu and Gajeel just stared at her run away, looking lost.

"Did you do something to piss blondie off?" Gajeel raised a brow at Natsu.

"Hmmm, I don't remember doing anything." Natsu scratched his probably air-filled head.

"Maybe she's on her period."

"High possibility."

 _Oh my god did he actually just want to come to my apartment?! He didn't even realise that I was trying to avoid him! He's a flirt, a player, but yet he's so dense?_

"AHHHH! JUST WHAT IS THIS GUY MADE OF?!" Lucy pulled her hair and internally screamed, or at least she thought she was.

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and realized that she had actually just screamed at the top of her lungs out loud in the middle of the hallway. Many people around her were staring at her with the what-is-her-problem face.

 _Oh crap._

* * *

"WHAT?! GAJEEL ASKED YOU OUT?!" Erza and Lucy shouted in unison. Right now, they are currently in Lucy's room gossiping. As expected of girls.

"Y-Yea. He suddenly approached me after school to ask me out on a d-date."

 _-flashback-_

 _"Levy."_

" _What is it?" Levy shifted her feet nervously and her face was already red because since when has Gajeel even tried to talk to her in private?_

 _"I'll be performing at The Fairy Bar next week so I was wondering if you would like to come and watch me." Gajeel asked while trying to avoid Levy's gaze._

 _"W-What?" Levy was utterly shocked._

 _"A-And maybe we could have dinner after that... together."_

 _Levy backed away in horror but not because she was in horror, but because GAJEEL WAS ASKING HER OUT ON A DATE. A DATE._

 _Gray appeared out of nowhere and said, "He has been contemplating for nearly a month already on whether he should ask you out and he's been sleepless every since."_

 _"JESUS WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!" Gajeel shot a glare at Gray and held up his fist._

 _"I was just passing by!"_

 _"Only an idiot would believe you! You followed me!"_

 _Gajeel looked to the wall behind them and he could see Jellal, Natsu and Loke hiding behind it. "Oh shit, he saw us!"_

 _He sighed at the immaturity of his friends. "So, Levy-"_

 _Gajeel turned around only to see an unconscious Levy lying on the floor._

 _"Woah did she faint from shock?!"_

 _-flashback ends-_

"I would never have expected that from Gajeel. I mean... it's Gajeel after all." Erza said.

"I totally know what you mean." Lucy said.

"Oh my god guys what do I do?! What dress should I wear? How should I do my makeup? How should I do my hair? WHAT PICK UP LINES SHOULD I USE?!" Levy said as she grabbed her head and shook it furiously.

"How did pick up lines even come into consideration..."

"You're exaggerating it, Levy." Erza said as she sipped her tea like a professional.

"I need to get ready 1 week in advance so I won't embarrass myself!"

"Isn't 1 week in advance... now?" Lucy shook her head at the way her blue-haired friend was acting.

"We could go dress shopping tomorrow!" Levy suggested.

"I definitely wouldn't mind. I need some new clothes." Erza said.

"Your wardrobe is about to burst, Erza." Lucy said. "But it's nice getting asked out by a boy, isn't it? You get to prepare for the date and you get these butterflies in your stomach when you're about to meet him."

"Lucy you get asked out by boys all the time but you just reject all of them."

Lucy froze at Erza's comment and laughed nervously.

"Anyway, Lu-chan. What do you think of Loke?" Levy brought up an unexpected topic.

"Loke? He's a really good friend of mine." Lucy answered.

"You said that he had a crush on you back in middle school, right? Do you think he still likes you?" Erza smirked.

"W-What? That's impossible! It's been many years since then!" Lucy flailed her hands wildly.

"Oh well, I don't know. But it's just a feeling I have, you know? A woman's sixth sense is never wrong, Lu-chan!"

"Then why don't I sense anything?"

"You're just dense."

"That's harsh Erza..."

"Anyway, we need to do something about this mess in your house."

The 3 of them turned around to look at all the clothes scattered on the floor of Lucy's apartment.

"I guess you weren't kidding when you said you haven't cleaned in days."

"I'm sorry guys." Lucy looked down in embarrassment.

After 2 hours of cleaning and packing, the trio were finally done making Lucy's apartment look brand new again.

"Thank you so much guys!" Lucy hugged both Levy and Erza.

"Don't mention it, Lu-chan! And we wouldn't have done it so quickly if Erza weren't so efficient."

"Of course! That's why I'm the student council president!"

.

.

.

* * *

"Thank you for having us, Lucy."

"Don't forget our shopping date tomorrow!"

With that, Erza and Levy left Lucy's apartment. It was already 9pm.

 _I should probably go get some dinner._

Lucy left Plue at home and made her way to a nearby convenience store to buy some microwave food. While paying for her stuff, she looked up to the store's tv which was showing the news.

"Recently, there have been many cases of young girls being attacked and violated by stalkers in the middle of the night. Please do be careful while roaming the streets of Magnolia at night."

Lucy looked to her watch to check the time. _It's only 9.30pm right now, it should be alright._ Lucy did not think much of it and left the convenience store with her things.

While heading back to her apartment, Lucy hummed her favorite song and was lost in her own thoughts. There was no one around her and the neighborhood was very quiet. But suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. Lucy stopped in her tracks and turned around, but there was nobody behind her, just an empty path.

 _Am I just hearing things?_

Lucy continued walking when she heard footsteps again. Those footsteps were completely in sync with her's. _No way... right?_

She tried walking faster and those footsteps picked up speed as well. This was when she started getting really creeped out. _Oh shit._

Lucy prepared her Lucy Kick and when she was already in stance, she turned around and

"Hey Luce!"

Lucy froze, only to see a Natsu standing infront of her. She blinked a few times as she just stared at him in disbelief. He was just smiling at her as if nothing just happened and Lucy went ahead with her Lucy Kick and her foot landed directly on Natsu's face.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Lucy screamed with anger radiating from her.

Natsu flew about 3 meters away from her and landed on his face. He got up quickly and shouted back, "THAT'S WHAT I SHOULD BE ASKING YOU!"

"Were you stalking me?!"

"Come on, Luce. If I was a stalker, you wouldn't have been able to even kick me!"

Lucy regained her composure and asked, "Well then, what are you doing being all creepy?"

"I was really bored and I saw you coming out from the convenience store so I thought it might be fun to follow you home." Natsu laughed to himself.

"You have problems as a human."

"So do you."

Lucy pouted and turned around to walk away.

"Do you need me to walk you home?" Natsu stood up.

"What for?" Lucy looked puzzled.

"I mean, you are afraid of stalkers, right?" Natsu crossed his arms and teased her.

"W-Who says I'm afraid?! I'm more afraid of you!"

"Well if you say so."

"Hmph!" Lucy stormed away from him.

Lucy could hear Natsu shouting from behind her. "Aren't you gonna say bye?" But she just ignored him.

 _What's up with him?! Teasing me like it's funny._

When Lucy reached home, she slammed her door close, causing Plue to shiver. She was still pissed with Natsu making fun of her and following her home. The steam coming out of her head could probably microwave her food instead of using an actual microwave.

But the thought of Natsu having the intention to walk her home made her blush.

 _It's a weird feeling._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Lucy was on her way to the mall for her shopping date with Levy and Erza when she received a call from Erza.

 _"Lucy, is it alright for Jellal to join us?'_

"Of course it is! See you there!"

* * *

"Wait a minute... didn't you only mention Jellal..?"

"Hey Lucy!" The 4 guys greeted in unison.

Turns out, Natsu, Gray and Loke decided to tag along with Jellal to join the girls.

"Sorry for being so impromptu, we were bored." Loke ruffled his hair.

"It's fine! But thank god you didn't bring Gajeel along." Levy heaved a sigh of relief.

"He's too busy preparing for his date by himself yea?" Gray smirked and nudged Levy with his elbow.

"Well guys, we have an entire day to help Levy choose a dress for her date so let's go!" Erza clapped her hands.

"Yes prez." Jellal teased Erza.

The group then started walking around the mall, checking out any shop that would catch their eye.

"Gosh Erza, how am I supposed to complain about boys when you brought so many with you?" Lucy placed her hand on her forehead.

"It may not be a bad thing to have them with us for now." Erza smiled.

Lucy looked over to the boys and they were playing dirty pranks on strangers. "Not a bad thing huh..."

"Guys! Let's go to 5ever21!" Levy hopped in excitement and dragged Lucy in.

"It's so boring to shop with girls." Gray lay down on the floor.

"I'm so hungry..." Natsu's stomach growled.

"You guys wanted to come along so no complaints!" Erza ordered.

"Yes ma'am..."

2 hours had passed and Levy still had problems choosing her dress. And they were still in the same shop.

"Should I get the blue or red one? But the white one is nice too!"

"To help you out a little, Gajeel's favorite colour is black." Jellal said.

"I could help you choose something!" Loke gave a thumbs up.

"Loke and Jellal are the only ones being useful here, what did the 2 of you come along for?!" Erza scolded Gray and Natsu who were on their phones playing some weird game.

"HAHA GRAY YOU LOST!"

"SHUT UP! YOU CHEATED!"

Erza immediately punched the both of them and sent them flying. "STOP ACTING LIKE SMALL CHILDREN!"

Lucy just stared at the 3 of them fighting in the middle of the shop, speechless. "I would say that for you as well Erza..."

Another hour passed and Levy was almost done. Lucy was exhausted. Even thought her day had only just started, it seemed like forever.

"Hey Luce! I think this would look really good on you!"

Lucy turned around only to see Natsu holding on to a black lace bra with a matching underwear set.

"WHAT THE HELL YOU PERVERT?!" Lucy kicked Natsu in the face and he slid all the way to the opposite side of the shop.

"What was that for?!" Natsu got up and shouted.

"Ignore him, Lucy. He's just being the creep that he is." Gray commented.

"SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, YOU STRIPPER!" Natsu pointed at him angrily.

Gray looked down and realized that his clothes had disappeared, leaving him stark naked.

"Oh shit!"

With that, Natsu and Gray started fighting again.

"My first impression of him is getting destroyed completely. Can't he just have 1 good point for me to fantasize about?" Lucy sighed.

"Who are you talking about, Lucy?" Loke asked.

Lucy didn't realise that Loke was behind her and she turned around in shock.

"N-Nobody!"

"Lu-chan! How do I look?" Levy interrupted their conversation just in time, which Lucy was pretty grateful for.

"Wow, Levy! You look great!" Levy was wearing a black vintage-looking dress which had a sweetheart hemline and stopped in the middle of her thighs.

"You should try this on!" Levy handed Lucy a dress and pushed her into the changing room before she could say anything.

About 10 minutes passed and Lucy came out from the changing room looking fabulous. She had on a halter dress which was in a navy blue color and it hugged her body pretty tightly, accentuating her already prominent curves. It stopped right above her knees with a slit by the side.

"Woah Luce! You look great!" Natsu said with a thumbs up.

Lucy blushed and said, "R-Really?"

"Yes you look pretty." Loke smiled, making Lucy blush even more.

* * *

"I finally got my dress after 3 hours!" Levy exclaimed.

"3 hours is way too long, how do girls even survive?!" Gray asked.

"Don't complain! You wanted to come along!"

"Natsu stop flirting with the cashier let's go!" Erza grabbed Natsu by the collar and dragged him away from the shop counter.

Lucy saw Natsu's actions and she had a slightly annoyed look on her face. Loke noticed.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Loke asked.

"N-Nothing." Lucy answered and she smiled slightly.

"Go on with the rest first, I have somewhere I need to go!" Loke said.

"Hey-" Before Lucy could say anything, Loke already ran off.

Lucy didn't think much about it and she just proceeded with the rest of the group to a pizza restaurant.

"I'm getting Hawaiian pizza." Gray said as he picked up the menu.

"I want the vegetarian one!"

"The one with the meatballs is good."

"How about salami?"

"Hold up, how are we going to finish so many pizzas in the first place?" Jellal broke their conversations.

"We can always give flamebrain the leftovers." Gray smirked.

"SHUT UP ICEBOY I AIN'T NO GARBAGE BIN!" Natsu shouted.

"WELL YOU'RE ALWAYS THE ONE STEALING MY FOOD!"

"CAN IT BOYS!" Erza scolded them as she pulled their heads apart and slammed them against the walls as the other customers stared at them.

"Well they're making a ruckus like always."

Loke then came running to the pizza restaurant with something in his hand.

"I'm back!"

"Loke, what did you buy?" Erza asked.

Loke chuckled then turned to Lucy, "Here Lucy, for you!"

Loke handed the item over to Lucy, leaving her in shock. It was a snowman softtoy that somehow really resembled Lucy's dog, Plue.

"Why did you-"

"I remember you used to always want one of these soft toys back in middle school but you didn't have enough pocket money." Loke scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"What made you wanna get it?" Lucy asked.

"I guess it just popped up in my head all of a sudden." Or so he said.

"You didn't have to, Loke. Thank you."

"They lllllllllllllike each other." Levy rolled her tongue and teased them.

"W-What?! No!" Lucy's face turned really red.

Well Loke didn't deny anything nor confirm anything, he just laughed it off.

"Now then! Let's order our pizzas!"

* * *

The group then went on to shop at many more stores, playing at the arcade, watching a movie and they completely lost track of time. They didn't realize that time went by so quickly. It was already 10pm and the mall was about to close. They then said goodbye to one another, parting ways to go home.

"It was too long of a day." Lucy said to herself, apparently exhausted.

She walked slowly down the streets of Magnolia as her legs were aching from the shopping that she had been doing all day. That brought her mind to the soft toy that Loke bought for her. She took it out of the many shopping bags that she was holding and took a look at it.

 _I can't believe he remembers after so long._

She smiled.

She heard footsteps behind her and it broke her out of her thoughts. She quickly turned around and eyed the streets suspiciously. But there was no one there.

 _It's probably just Natsu again._

She decided to brush it off and continue making her way home when she heard footsteps behind her again. And they were getting faster, as if someone was chasing her.

 _What is he thinking?! Trying to scare the crap out of me? What the hell does he want?_

It was 10.30pm and there was no one around Lucy, only dark and empty streets which screamed creepiness. She was started to get really scared and conscious about her surroundings.

Lucy turned around and said, "Look Natsu, just stop this isn't funny-"

Before she could get a full view of who was behind her, someone forcefully grabbed her arms and covered her mouth really tightly. She almost stopped breathing from shock and she dropped all of her bags. The person lifted her up and dragged her into a dark alley. She struggled and tried to scream but she couldn't. She was so scared to the point that her voice wouldn't even come out of her throat.

Lucy could feel herself get thrown onto the ground. "W-Who a-are you?"

"You don't need to know who we are, girl."

There were 2 men standing before her, dressed in black and their faces covered with masks. Lucy couldn't recognize their voices either.

 _The stalkers on the news._

Lucy's eyes widened. She did not think that she would end up as one of the victims. She got up onto her feet and tried to escape.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

One of the men grabbed her arm and threw her against the wall, causing her to knock her head pretty hard which they laughed sadistically at. She could feel her vision getting blurry and her knees weak. They pinned her against the wall and started unbuttoning her shirt. Lucy tried to struggle out of their grasp but her arms were losing all of their strength and she felt like she was going to pass out any moment.

 _I don't want this. Someone save me..._

Before she knew it, her whole world went black.

* * *

"Lucy! Lucy! Hey Lucy wake up!"

Lucy could hear someone calling her. A familiar voice. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying on a bench with a salmon-haired boy infront of her.

"Natsu?"

"Lucy thank god! You're alive!"

"Idiot of course I'm alive-"

She suddenly recalled what had just happened to her. The 2 sadistic stalkers. Getting dragged to the dark alley and getting violated like that.

"Don't worry. They didn't do anything to you." Natsu's voice full of assurance.

Lucy looked into Natsu's eyes and got absorbed into his serious expression. "R-Really? But they-"

"I kicked their asses in the nick of time. You're fine, Luce. I promise." Natsu placed his hands on Lucy's shoulders, giving her more security.

Lucy could feel tears forming in her eyes. With that, she broke down and immediately wrapped her arms around Natsu waist.

"Natsu, I was so scared! I thought they..." Lucy continued sobbing into Natsu's shirt as he proceeded to embrace her into a warm, tight hug.

He knew this was what she needed the most right now.

"It's alright Luce. I'm here." He comforted her.

They stayed that way for about 5 minutes before Lucy broke the hug. "I'm sorry."

"No, I should be sorry. If I got here earlier, they wouldn't even have gotten the chance to hurt you." Natsu said as he looked at all the bruises on her arms and legs.

Lucy sniffed and wiped away her tears. "Thank you, Natsu. For saving me."

Natsu gave her a soft smile and patted her head. "I'm sending you home alright?"

Lucy just nodded and stood up with Natsu helping her.

On their way back to Lucy's apartment, she didn't say a word, neither did Natsu. He knew she was vulnerable right now. He occasionally gave her little stares, seemingly checking on her. Lucy noticed, but she was too traumatized and tired to care, wishing that all that didn't actually happen.

They finally reached the front door of her apartment after what seemed like forever.

"Well, I'm home."

"You sure you'll be fine by yourself?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thank you, Natsu." Lucy gave the sweetest smile to her savior.

"Alright then. By the way, your bags." Natsu held up all of Lucy's shopping bags.

Lucy didn't even noticed that Natsu was holding onto them all this while. Natsu handed the bags to her and said, "If you ever need some company, just give me a call. I'll be sure to come rushing over!"

He took a pen out of his pocket and wrote down his number onto Lucy's arm, making her giggle. "I sure will."

They waved each other goodbye and Lucy proceeded into her apartment. Once she did, she dropped onto the floor in exhaustion.

 _What a day._

After her bath, she realized that she had forgotten something. Lucy quickly took a look at her arm and heaved a big sigh of relief when she noticed that Natsu's phone number didn't get washed away in the shower. She saved his number in her phone and texted him.

 _"Thank you once again!"_

 _"No biggie! Please don't get nightmares!"_

It made her smile.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

"Seriously guys?!"

Gajeel screamed at his entire group of friends who were standing behind Levy.

Today was the day of Gajeel and Levy's supposed date at The Fairy Bar. But who knew that the rest of the group would come along as well.

"Come on, Gajeel! We didn't have anything to do!" Natsu said.

"This is payback for disrupting me and Yukino's date 2 months ago!" Loke exclaimed.

"We promise we'll leave you 2 alone after your performance." Erza pleaded.

"I personally don't mind. Anyway the more the merrier, right Gajeel?" Levy tried persuading the already looking pissed Gajeel.

"Tch. Fine."

"Well then! Let's go find a seat!" Gray said as he clapped his hands together.

"G-Good luck for your performace." Levy said.

Gajeel blushed slightly and replied, "T-Thanks a lot."

"They llllllllllike each other." Lucy teased.

"Shut up!" they both yelled in unison.

The Fairy Bar just opened business last year but it quickly got famous amongst the high school students in Magnolia, particularly students of Fairy Tail High. It was full of people every night, tonight was no exception. And of course, Lucy and friends were all dressed up for the night, looking hella good.

They quickly found a seat pretty near the bar's stage where Gajeel would be performing on so that they could get a good view.

"Wow there's so many people here." Lucy commented being the only who's never been to The Fairy Bar before.

"Students from Blue Pegasus High and Lamia Scale Academy come here as well! We could introduce you to some of them later on." Jellal said.

"I doubt she would wanna meet Ichiya though." Gray said.

"Who's Ichiya?" Lucy asked.

"WHAT EXQUISITE PARFUM!"

An orange-haired man suddenly appeared beside Lucy causing her to yelp in surprise.

"Ah there he is! He's Ichiya from Blue Pegasus High." Jellal introduced.

"W-Why is he sniffing me?" Lucy asked, clearly creeped out.

"He's a big fan of perfumes. Don't mind him, he's a nice guy!"

"Wait.. So this old dude is studying in Blue Pegasus High?" Lucy whispered to Erza.

"I'm not that old, I'm only 29!" Ichiya said.

"He fails his final exams every year so he's never gotten a chance to graduate." Erza shook her head disappointingly.

"Ah Erza! You have fine parfum like always, men!" Ichiya said while striking tons of different poses which triggered Erza to send him flying with a kick.

Erza coughed to draw back the attention. "Anyway, let's order some drinks."

"By drinks you mean a-alcohol?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah Lucy. Is there something wrong?" Loke asked.

"Aren't we under aged?"

"Nah no rules here!"

"I think I'll skip the alcohol, my tolerance is bad." Lucy looked slightly embarrassed.

"Gray and Erza knock out easily as well." Levy whispered to Lucy while giggling.

"Hey I heard that!"

After they ordered their drinks, a beautiful lady with long silver hair came walking over to them with their drinks.

"Here's your order!"

 _She looks really familiar._

"Thanks Mira. Lucy, this is Mirajane. She's Lisanna's older sister and she graduated from Fairy Tail High last year." Erza introduced.

"N-Nice to meet you!" Lucy greeted while obviously intrigued by her beauty.

"Nice to meet you too, Lucy! I heard a lot about you from Natsu!"

"Natsu?!"

"Yes! He told me that there's been a really interesting girl that joined Fairy Tail High recently!" Mirajane laughed while placing their drinks on the table.

Lucy looked over to Natsu who was seated with the girls of Mermaid Heel Academy 2 tables away from them.

 _I-Interesting?_

Lucy didn't know whether to feel flattered or offended.

"Nee-chan! We need more manpower here!" an extremely muscular guy with the same silver hair called out to Mirajane.

"Anyway, enjoy your time here tonight! I have to get back to work, Elfman's calling me. It's full house right now!" just like that Mirajane rushed back to the bar counter.

"She's so nice unlike her sister." Gray said out of the blue.

"You mean Lisanna?" Lucy asked as she sipped on her orange juice.

"Yeah. That girl's a mean girl from hell!" Levy said.

"Thank god she and Natsu called it quits." Loke sighed, seemingly a little scared of Lisanna.

"I-Is that so?" Lucy asked. _I wonder what she's really like._

"No comments." Erza said and Jellal just kept quiet.

Just then Natsu comes walking back to their table and taking a seat. "So what did I miss?"

"N-Not much." Lucy laughed nervously.

"I think Gajeel is gonna perform soon!" Natsu was excited.

"I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about this." Jellal said.

"It is Gajeel afterall." Erza continued as she took a bite from her strawberry cheesecake that appeared out of nowhere.

Just then, the lights in the bar dimmed and the spotlight shone onto a figure on stage. There Gajeel was, holding onto a guitar and dressed in a white tuxedo. This caused him to earn many shocked stares from the audience.

"Woah seriously Gajeel?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"This is a song I wrote myself. It's called Best Friend. I hope you like it." Gajeel spoke into the mic.

"Colourful, colourful...

shooby doo bop!

Tremble with love, steel grey metallic!"

Lucy and the entire group were completely flabbergasted, they just stared at him speechless while the entire bar went silent.

"Doo doo doo... Shalala...

shooby doo bop! Shalala...

Bite into it, hard! Sweet Honey..."

"I've never heard a song this crappy before!" Natsu shouted as he covered his ears with his hands and Gajeel threw his guitar towards Natsu's face.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

"I'M SHOOBY DOO BOPPING YOU JERK!" Gajeel pounced onto Natsu and the both of them started fighting in the middle of the bar.

Gray stood up and threw his beer cup at Natsu's head.

"NATSU WILL YOU STOP CAUSING A RUCKUS?!"

But at the same time he stood up, he unknowingly pushed Erza, which caused her favourite strawberry cheesecake to slip off her plate onto the floor.

"M-My... strawberry cheesecake..."

"LISTEN UP ALL OF YOU! REAL MEN DON'T MAKE SUCH A DAMN RACKET!" Elfman shouted and stepped on the strawberry cheesecake, causing Erza to get angered.

"WATCH WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" Erza shouted and she punched Elfman in the face.

"Someone stop these 2!" someone from the crowd called as he pointed at Natsu and Gajeel who were brawling on the floor.

And for some reason, everyone in The Fairy Bar were suddenly fighting with one another. Lucy just sat at her seat and watched as all of them beat each other up.

 _Gosh this reminds me of Fairy Tail High 2 years ago. I guess nothing has changed._

Lucy was amused yet she felt nostalgic. Without looking, she picked up a cup from the table and took a sip from the drink. Little did she know, that was Natsu's cup. She immediately noticed the difference in taste and looked at what was inside of it.

 _B-Bitter..._

She blacked out.

* * *

Lucy slowly opened her eyes in reaction to the bright sunlight that was shining on her.

 _It's morning already?_

She woke up and stretched her arms, finding herself in an unfamiliar apartment.

"Where am I?"

She got off the bed and when she put her feet on the floor, she stepped on something, making her jump up in shock.

"NATSU?!"

Natsu was sound asleep on the floor right beside the bed, snoring really loudly.

"Hey, Natsu. Wake up." Lucy shook him but Natsu didn't budge.

She scratched her head and walked to the living room. There she saw Erza, with Gray and Loke asleep on the sofa.

"Oh Lucy, you're awake." Erza said.

"Morning Erza! What happened last night?"

"Well..."

 _-flashback starts-_

 _"Lucy are you ok?!" Natsu shook Lucy violently to try wake her up._

 _"Don't be so rough on her! I think she drank alcohol by accident." Levy said._

 _"She fainted with just that little bit?!" Gajeel asked._

 _"We'll take care of her until we leave. Gajeel and Levy, it's alright if the both of you want to have your own space now." Erza said._

 _"Alright then. Everyone please take good care of Lu-chan!"_

 _Levy and Gajeel then left the bar to have a one to one dinner._

 _3 hours later..._

 _"Gurayyyy youu suuuck!" Natsu screamed in a drunken voice._

 _"Do you want me to beat you to a pulp, you idiot?!" Gray retaliated._

 _"So now Lucy, Loke and Jellal are unconscious and Natsu's drunk." Erza shook her head._

 _"I think it's time we head back. But how are we gonna carry all of them back to their homes?"_

 _"How about we head to Natsu's place and spend the night? It's the nearest to The Fairy Bar."_

 _"Good idea. Luckily I still have his spare keys."_

 _Erza picked Jellal up and Gray tried carrying both Lucy and Loke._

 _"Luuushiiiii I'm carrying youuu home! Cooome ooon..." Natsu flung Lucy's entire body over his shoulders._

 _"H-Hey Natsu!"_

 _-flashback ends-_

"Natsu did what?!"

"He insisted on carrying you back here even though he could barely walk straight. And after he placed you on his bed he fell asleep on the floor." Erza continued.

This made Lucy blush really hard.

"Wait why are you in sports attire?" Lucy asked.

"I just came back from a morning jog." Erza started stretching her legs.

"Only you would have the mood for a jog at 8 in the morning."

"Well, I am the student council president afterall."

.

.

.

"A-Anyway, where are the rest?" Lucy quickly changed the topic.

"I don't know about Gajeel and Levy but Jellal headed home to prepare for school."

"Oh shit! I totally forgot we have school! And class starts at 9!"

Lucy quickly put on her shoes and rushed out of Natsu's apartment, running back to her own.

* * *

Lucy only reached school at 9.30am, walking into her class embarrassed.

"How are you feeling, Lu-chan? You completely knocked out last night!" Levy asked concernedly.

"I'm alright! Just a little tired. Loke seems unwell though."

Lucy looked at Loke who was seated beside her, holding onto his head as if the world was ending.

"My head hurts..."

"Well it seems that the ones who supposedly have a high alcohol tolerance are having hangovers." Lucy giggled a little.

"This is why I'm the student council president!" Erza remarked.

.

.

.

-At the cafeteria-

"I think my head is going to split..." Jellal said.

"I feel like puking again..." Natsu held onto his stomach.

Erza handed some tea to Jellal to help him feel better while Gray was just hitting Natsu's back, which was probably doing more bad than good.

"Tch. Noobs." Gajeel said.

"I'm going to the toilet to freshen up..." Natsu got up slowly and shuffled his feet to the toilet.

Lucy watched as he left and she decided to wait for him outside of the toilet.

Natsu walked out and he saw Lucy.

"Hey Luce! What's up?"

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Not really..."

"T-Thank you." Lucy said and looked away blushing.

"Huh? What for?" Natsu looked puzzled.

"For carrying me to your house and letting me sleep on your bed."

"I did that? No wonder I was sleeping on the floor!"

"W-Wait. You don't remember anything?"

"Nope. My mind is completely blank."

Lucy being touched by Natsu's actions was immediately turned off once again.

 _This guy is hopeless._

Just then, a familiar figure walked towards them.

"Hey Natsu! It's been awhile." a certain silver haired girl approached them.

"Hey Lisanna." Natsu greeted without even smiling.

"Oh and if it isn't Lucy."

"H-Hi." Lucy said.

"I've been hearing your name around school a lot. You're pretty popular huh?" Lisanna had a hint of sarcasm in her words.

"Not really-"

"Anyway what are you doing here?" Natsu interrupted.

"I was just taking a walk around school!" Lisanna said with a smile.

"Well Lucy and I were just about to leave. Enjoy your walk." Natsu grabbed Lucy arm and dragged her away.

Lucy still clueless about what was going on, looked back at Lisanna who gave her an unreadable expression. She had to admit that she was pretty scared.

"Natsu, what's going on?" Lucy asked.

"It's nothing. Just be careful of Lisanna alright? She can get nasty." Natsu warned.

Lucy just nodded.

"Let's head back to the rest!" Natsu said.

* * *

School had ended but Lucy still couldn't get the Lisanna incident off her mind, Natsu didn't talk much after that either.

 _I hope he's okay._

As Lucy was packing up her bag to leave, Levy came over to her seat.

"Lu-chan! Do you wanna go buy some chocolate?"

"Chocolate?"

"You see.. Valentine's day is coming up! Erza and I were planning to go get some chocolate and we wanted you to come with us as well!"

"But I don't have anyone I wanna give chocolate to." Lucy laughed nervously.

"It's alright, just come with us!"

-At the chocolate shop-

"They sure are getting ready for Valentine's day."

Lucy, Erza and Levy walked into the chocolate shop that was decorated with pink hearts everywhere. Even their chocolate was packed in heart-shaped gift boxes.

"They're so pretty!" Lucy said in awe.

"I wonder what kind of chocolate Jellal would like." Erza said as she walked down the aisles.

"Do you think Gajeel would like dark chocolate?" Levy asked.

Lucy just walked around aimlessly and looking at the different kinds of chocolate the shop has.

"It would be nice if I had someone to give chocolate to."

"I think if you gave chocolates to Loke he would be very happy." Erza teased.

"I-I can't do that! He's just a good friend! I can't have him getting the wrong idea." Lucy's face started turning red.

"What about Gray? He's still single." Levy suggested.

"No way." Lucy shook her head in displeasure.

Lucy walked to the last aisle of the shop and a certain gift box caught her eye. It was a red glittery heart-shaped box with a gold ribbon tied around it. Inside of it had many different flavours of chocolate.

 _It's so pretty._

The shopkeeper noticed Lucy staring at the box of chocolates and walked towards her.

"Planning to buy this for your boyfriend?"

"W-What?! I don't have a boyfriend! Well actually I don't have any guy that I'd like to give chocolates to." Lucy said.

"Hmm, why don't you just get it first if you really like it and on Valentine's day itself you could just wait and see who you would wanna give it to?" the shopkeeper kindly suggested.

"I guess that could work as well, I'll buy it then!"

The 3 of them left the shop finally to head home.

"I hope Gajeel likes these! Anyway, Lu-chan. Since you bought chocolates, have you decided who you wanna give them to?" Levy asked.

"Not really..."

* * *

"What?! Me?!"

"Yes Lu-tan! I've had a crush on you ever since I first saw you! It was love at first sight and even if you don't feel the same way... I still hope you would accept my chocolates!" Dan confessed to Lucy.

Lucy was left completely shocked by the sudden confession of one of her secret admirers.

"Well... I guess I'll accept it then. Thank you..." Lucy slowly took the chocolates from Dan's hands.

"YES! LU-TAN ACCEPTED MY CHOCOLATES!" Dan shouted as he ran away.

School has barely even started and Lucy was already receiving chocolates from random guys, some she's never even seen before. She sighed as she knew that it was gonna be an interesting yet tiring day. She walked into class to see everybody really hyped up about Valentine's day.

"Oh, Lu-chan!" Levy ran towards Lucy.

"Have you given your chocolates to Gajeel?" Lucy asked as she placed her bag on her table.

"Not yet. I haven't seen him around school! What about you, Lu-chan?"

"My chocolates are still here. Maybe I won't find anyone to give them to." Lucy laughed.

"Don't say that Lu-chan! I'm pretty sure there's at least one guy that caught your eye!"

"Anyway! Class is starting so I'll talk to you later, Levy!" Lucy avoided the topic.

During Mr. Gildarts' class, Lucy was paying close attention and was really into the class until Loke whispered to her.

"Hey Lucy."

Lucy turned to look at him with a confused look. And then, Loke handed her a box of chocolates.

"Loke-"

"For being a great friend. I won't take no for an answer."

Lucy knew she couldn't reject it so she took the chocolates from him. She blushed slightly and gave him a sweet smile.

"Thank you."

"Lucy! Loke! Pay attention!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Lucy walked along the hallways of Fairy Tail High after school as she watched many people exchanging boxes of chocolate with one another. Many seemingly becoming couples after that. She even saw Gray getting chased around by a blue haired girl with chocolates in her hand and shouting "Gray-sama!" Levy and Gajeel had already given each other chocolates, so did Erza and Jellal.

She had to admit that on the inside, she did feel a little lonely.

It was already evening but Lucy did not feel like heading home, so she made her way to the soccer field and sat on the spectators area beside it. She watched the soccer players actively kicking the soccer ball around.

Lucy then took out the box of chocolates that she had bought the other day out of her school bag and stared at it. She was rather disappointed.

"What's the point of Valentine's day when you're receiving so much chocolate but not giving away any?" Lucy said to herself and she sighed.

"I guess I won't be giving them to anybody. Should I throw these away or eat them myself?"

"Come on, don't let such a nice gift go to waste!"

Lucy heard a familiar voice behind her and turned around, only to see a certain salmon haired boy.

"Natsu..."

* * *

 **Hi readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of She's Got Me Twisted. I just had to add in one of my favourite fairy tail scenes of Gajeel singing in here because it was hilarious! And very fairy tail like! No hate to Lisanna by the way, I just decided to use her as the mean character.**

 **I'm going to apologize beforehand that I won't be able to update as often because school started and I have lots of work on hand! But I will still try my best to update new chapters asap! Nonetheless, please leave a good review and look forward to the next chapter ^~^**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Natsu..."

"What are you doing here by yourself?" Natsu sat down beside her.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Lucy said and she looked at Natsu's school bag which was probably about to explode from the amount of chocolate in it.

"Looks like you're really popular with the girls huh?" she laughed.

Natsu's face turned red. "W-What are you talking about?!"

Seeing Natsu blush made Lucy giggle. He stared at the box of chocolates in Lucy's hand.

"You're not really throwing them away, are you?"

"Since I can't find anybody to give them to, might as well."

"But it's such a waste!"

"I'll eat it myself then!"

Natsu stayed silent for awhile, as if he was thinking of something.

"Why don't you give them to me?" he suggested.

"WHAT?!" Lucy screamed.

"I'm probably the only choice you have now so don't be picky."

"You sure are initiative huh?"

"We're good friends anyway! Aren't we?" Natsu let out a toothy grin.

His words kind of shocked Lucy, but she smiled and said, "Of course we are."

"Oh right! I forgot something!" Natsu reached his hand into his bag for something.

He pulled out a box of chocolates and handed them to Lucy.

"Here! So we can exchange chocolates."

Lucy blushed at Natsu's actions and her heart started beating really fast.

"Natsu..." she smiled at him as they exchanged their respective Valentine's Day gifts.

 _Was he already planning to give this to me from the start?_

"I bought chocolates for myself just in case I wasn't gonna receive any but boy was I surprised! I got more gifts than I expected and I was so busy I completely forgot about them!"

.

.

.

"... Were you planning on giving them to anybody in the first place?"

"Not really. Maybe I would give them to Happy but can cats eat chocolate?"

Lucy gawked at Natsu in disbelief and she didn't respond.

"What's wrong Luce? Are you sick?" Natsu asked as he leaned forward to place his hand on Lucy's forehead.

"Nope you're not sick." he crossed his arms and sat back.

Once again, Lucy was disappointed. But she laughed when she realized it was just Natsu being Natsu. What more can she expect?

Natsu looked at her with a baffled expression as she did, wondering what was up with her.

"One moment you look like your brain sat on a spaceship and flew off to mars and another moment you're laughing to yourself. You're really weird."

"Says you!"

* * *

Here at The Fairy Bar, were Gray and Natsu.

"I see you and Lucy have been getting pretty close." Gray said.

"Are you jealous?" Natsu teased.

"Hell no."

"Right... You have Juvia."

"H-Hey! I mean, never have I seen you give chocolate to a girl on Valentine's Day before. Literally never."

"It was an exchange you jerk. Besides, she's pretty sweet you know? Yet weird at the same time." Natsu had a slight tint of pink on his cheeks.

"That's just like you isn't it? Except without the sweet."

"Why you..."

"Here are your orders!" Mirajane placed 2 cups of beer in front of the duo who were seated at the bar counter.

"Thanks a lot Mira!" Natsu said.

"Don't mention it! How has school been going?" she asked as she leaned curiously on the bar counter.

"It's been alright." Gray said.

"Alright?! My brain is filled with things I don't understand! I don't even know what I don't know!" Natsu complained as he pulled on his salmon-colored hair.

"Are you sure they're even in your brain?" Gray asked sarcastically.

"What are you trying to say?!"

"I'm trying to say that brain of your's probably got burnt to crisps from the hot sauce you're always eating!"

"Well your brain must have froze from all your goddamn snow cones!"

"YOU TRYING TO START A FIGHT, SQUINTY EYES?!"

"YOU INSULTED ME FIRST, DROOPY EYES!"

"Now now, you wouldn't want to start a fight with so many customers around." Mirajane tried to calm the 2 boys who were practically growling at each other. But they listened and sat back down.

"If you're having problems with school, why don't you go to Erza for help? Her grades have always been at the top." Mirajane suggested.

"Erza is the last person I would wanna go to for help." Natsu said with a little fear in his voice.

"I have to agree with you on that one." Gray nodded.

"Lisanna has been complaining to me about her studies as well!"

Gray cringed the moment he heard that name. He didn't like that girl.

Mirajane noticed the both of them go quiet.

"A-Anyway, I need to get back to work. See you boys later!" Natsu and Gray waved Mirajane off.

Natsu took a sip of his beer and Gray looked at him, almost staring.

"Speaking of Lisanna..."

"What now, Gray? I'm getting tired of that topic." Natsu sighed.

"I saw her talking to you and Lucy the other day. What was that about?"

"Nothing much, just some really useless stuff."

"Knowing her, I'm pretty sure she's going around acting like Regina George again." Gray shook his head.

"You just don't like her Gray." Natsu laughed.

"Naturally, after all that she did to you. You cover for her too much."

"Well girls have their dignity."

"Lisanna though, has none."

"That rage is gonna melt all of your snow cones."

"Being around you already melts my snow cones, flame brain! You're a teeny bit too nice sometimes you know?" Gray had a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Oh is ice princess praising me right now?"

"I take it back."

"Well, it's the past so let bygones be bygones."

"Stop being so wise it doesn't suit your airhead personality. Or should I say firehead?"

"You got a problem with that, you snow cone stripper?!" Natsu slammed his fists on the bar counter.

"I SURE DO!"

"YOU WANNA GO, YOU ASSHOLE?!"

"BRING IT ON!"

"Somebody stop them before they destroy the entire bar!"

* * *

"Hey guys! I have free tickets to go ice skating! Who's interested?" Erza asked excitingly.

The clique of Fairy Tail High had just ended classes and were about to head home, obviously exhausted from all the work they had to do.

"Where did you even get those from?" Gajeel asked, having on his usual stern character.

"The principal gave them to me as a reward for my good grades." Erza's eyes sparkled.

"He should've given you strawberry cheesecake vouchers instead." Lucy said.

"Come to think of it, I've always wondered why our principal is so short." Gray mentioned.

"Who knows?"

"Maybe someone stepped on him." Natsu said.

"Your opinions are completely out of the question, flame brain."

"So why don't we go ice skating this weekend?"

"That's a great idea! It's been awhile since we've got time to relax!" Loke said.

"Sorry Erza, Gajeel and I already have plans!" Levy said shyly.

"Oh so someone's going on a date." Jellal teased which made Levy and Gajeel flustered.

"But I cant skate..." Lucy said, a little embarrassed.

"Don't worry Lucy, Natsu can't skate either." Gray comforted her.

"You didn't have to expose me Gray."

"I could teach you if you want!" Loke said to Lucy.

"Really?! Thank you, Loke!"

"Well I'm definitely not gonna teach flamebrain how to ice skate." Gray said.

"I wouldn't want you to, ice princess." Natsu argued.

"Why you-"

"Stop fighting the both of you!" Erza scolded.

"Yes Madam!" the 2 immediately obeyed.

"I guess I shall be the one to teach Natsu how to skate." Erza smiled.

"I-I think I'll pass."

"No, you're coming with us and I'm teaching you." she demanded.

Lucy could see Natsu shivering in fear but he didn't really have much of a choice since it was Erza they were talking about here.

 _Poor Natsu._ She laughed.

* * *

-That weekend-

"Of all things, an uber?!" Natsu screamed as his face turned purple.

Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Loke, Erza and Jellal were all ready to go ice skating and Erza called for an uber to come pick them up.

"It's faster than taking the train so it could spare you at least a few minutes of torture." Gray said.

"He's right, Natsu. Don't complain." Erza said as she got onto the uber.

"I'm starting to feel sick..."

"We haven't even moved yet!"

"Natsu's motion sick?" Lucy asked.

"He has always been and it's pretty bad. He can't handle any type of transportation." Jellal explained.

 _Who would've thought._

"Gajeel is too, but thank god he isn't here otherwise we'd have to handle 2 idiots puking everywhere." Gray said.

Just then, the uber started driving and Natsu's face was getting worse by the second.

"I'd much rather just walk to our destination..." Natsu looked like he was gonna puke.

"You might as well take a nap, it's a 10 minute ride." Loke said.

"I wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully in this kind of condition..."

Lucy then thought of an idea, but it was pretty bold thing to do.

"Uhm Natsu, I-I could rub your head if you want. It'll make you feel better!"

"Well, I don't mind..."

"That's a great idea!" Erza then punched Natsu in the stomach and he fell onto Lucy's lap, which startled her.

Lucy started massaging Natsu's head and she could see his face relax. He then slowly fell asleep.

 _It's working!_

Lucy realized what she was actually doing to Natsu, it was kind of intimate to her.

 _Isn't this what couples do...? What am I doing?!_

That thought made Lucy's cheeks burn up unknowingly, which didn't go unnoticed to a certain raven-haired male.

A few minutes passed and they finally reached their destination. It was a shopping mall with a gigantic ice skating rink at the ground level.

"Wow this place is huge! The last time I came here it only had 2 floors!" Lucy exclaimed in awe.

"They renovated it during the time you were gone, and now it's as good as new!" Loke said.

"Somebody... help me... get out of here..." Natsu struggled to crawl out of the uber.

Lucy helped Natsu up and hung his arm on top of her shoulders as she supported him.

 _He is hopeless._

"Come on guys, let's go!" Erza said.

They walked to the entrance of the ice skating rink and handed their tickets over to the staff.

"It's been awhile since we got off the uber, why is Natsu still motion sick?" Lucy asked worriedly as she carefully placed Natsu onto a chair.

"Hmm, first he was on the uber and then he was carried by you..." Gray looked deep in thought.

"I'm not transportation!"

Lucy and the rest all got their skates and gloves on and entered the ice skating rink, with Natsu and Lucy grabbing onto the handrails as if their life depended on them.

"This is a piece of cake!" Gray spun across the rink.

"Come on, Lucy! It'll be fine! I'm here supporting you!" Loke comforted her as he gripped her arms firmly.

"W-Wait! I'm not ready!"

Before she knew it, Loke had already pulled Lucy to the center of the rink despite her protests and Erza was dragging Natsu somewhere else forcefully.

"Just relax your feet and keep a space between your legs."

Lucy did as she was told while Loke still had a hold on her hands and she succeeded with balancing almost immediately.

"See, I knew you could it! Now try to skate forward."

Lucy shifted her left foot forward and of course, she lost balance. She shut her eyes tightly and got ready for the impact that was coming her way, when she felt a pair of warm hands support her back, then pulling her into what felt like a man's chest.

She slowly fluttered her eyes open, only to see Loke's face so very close to her's.

"L-L-Loke-"

"You don't have to worry about falling. I'll be sure to catch you." Loke said with some sort of seriousness in his tone. But he quickly gave her a grin afterwards.

Lucy's face reddened and she gently pulled herself out of Loke's embrace. "T-Thank you..."

 _What was that about? Loke seemed so different for a moment._

"Erza you're spinning Natsu too hard!"

"This is the only way he can really learn how to ice skate!"

The commotion behind Lucy caught her attention as she turned her head to see what was going on. Erza was flinging Natsu here and there and twirling him around like some crazy demon. Well, not like she expected any less of the scarlet-haired lady.

"I'm gonna throw up..."

Erza spun Natsu around again another time when something else caught her attention. It was her favorite strawberry cheesecake on sale!

"S-Strawberry cheesecake..." Erza gasped and somehow she magically floated away from the scene, completely forgetting to catch Natsu for another demonic spin.

Natsu spun out of control and headed for Lucy's direction. Before she could react, a screaming Natsu came crashing into her and falling right on top of her.

"Seriously Natsu?!"

"My vision's blurry..." and he passed out.

"Gosh Natsu you're heavy!"

The Fairy Tail students continued skating for a few more hours before finally deciding to head home. It was already 6pm and their legs and butt were aching from the constant falling on the hard ice cold floor, so they decided to call another uber to fetch them back to their area. Of course, Natsu had his motion sickness in course again which called for Lucy to massage his head on their way back.

The uber dropped them off at Magnolia station, where they all waved goodbye to one another and headed their respective ways after a long tiring day.

"Hey Luce!"

Lucy turned around to see Natsu calling out and running towards her.

"What's wrong Natsu? Did you forget something?"

"I uhm... was thinking of walking you back home. If you want." Natsu rubbed his neck nervously as his face got flustered.

 _He's blushing? It's kinda cute. Wait what? No Lucy stop! You're not supposed to be fantasizing!_ She internally smacked herself.

"W-What for? I can walk home by myself, don't worry!" Lucy flailed her hands in front of her.

"Well.. to kind of thank you for rubbing my head in the uber. Must be a real pain to take care of guy like me huh!" he laughed embarrassingly.

"It wasn't a chore or anything! You don't need to thank me for something for trivial."

"It definitely was significant to me. And besides, I wanna make sure you're safe after all that's happened."

Lucy's mind flashed back to the 2 creepy stalkers.

"If you insist."

The 2 started strolling along the neighborhood path without saying much at first.

"So how was your day?" Natsu started a conversation to break the awkward silence.

"It was great! But my butt still hurts really bad..."

"Do you want me to massage it for you?"

"No thank you." she face palmed.

Just then, Lucy was blinded by the bright orange light that was shining into her brown orbs. The sun was setting.

"Wow it's so pretty!" Lucy was in full amazement.

She heard Natsu mumble a few words but she couldn't catch it.

"Did you say something?"

"No it was just your imagination."

All of a sudden, Lucy felt droplets of water fall onto her skin.

She looked up to the sky. "Don't tell me..."

And yes, it started pouring.

"Right after I praised the scenery?!" she used her hands to shelter her head which obviously didn't work.

She looked to Natsu who was unbuttoning his shirt for who knows what.

"What are you doing?!" Lucy's face turned red at the sight.

Natsu opened his shirt up and used it to cover both their heads from the rain.

"Come on!"

They ran in the direction of the blonde's apartment for about 5 minutes before finally getting some shelter.

"Oh my god we're finally here." Lucy said, panting heavily.

"I'm sorry you still got drenched." Natsu ruffled Lucy's hair in an effort to shake the water off.

"I could just take a shower after this. But how are you gonna make it home? Your house is still quite a distance from here, and you're half-naked."

"Don't worry. I'll make it work!" Natsu gave a soft yet attractive smile.

They waved each other goodbye and Natsu ran off into the distance. Lucy watched as he did, she touched her head and a small smile crept up to her lips.

* * *

-At Natsu's apartment-

The salmon-haired teen stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel to dry his hair. He stood in front of the mirror and stared at himself as he thought back to what happened.

 _-flashback starts-_

 _Natsu watched as the fiery red orb slowly sank beneath the horizon._

 _"Wow it's so pretty!"_

 _He turned to Lucy who was amazed by such a simple thing, which surprised him. The fact that she was such a simple-minded girl intrigued him, he knew she was different. It made his heart race for some reason. The threads of light shone onto her delicate face, only intensifying her beauty. He watched with an unwavering gaze as her milk chocolate-colored eyes sparkled like no other. It's as if time stopped._

 _Wow._

 _"Just like you." he mumbled._

 _"Did you say something?"_

 _"No it was just your imagination."_

 _-flashback ends-_

Natsu turned crimson red as he judged his own very being. He couldn't believe those words slipped out of his mouth and he face palmed himself.

"If she actually heard what I said I'm dead meat, right Happy?"

He looked over to his blue cat who was lazing around in one corner. Natsu just heaved a huge sigh and continued with his daily routine.

* * *

"A-choo!"

"Are you alright, Lu-chan?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

It was the Monday after Lucy and Natsu ran in the rain together and she caught a cold. Natsu seemed perfectly fine when she bumped into him this morning, despite him being under the rain more. Oh well, what luck.

Lucy sniffed and realized that she ran out of tissue.

"Excuse me a little, Levy. I'm going to the toilet."

"Sure, Lu-chan!"

She dragged her feet to the female toilet just to get a roll of toilet paper for her nose that was probably never gonna stop running. She blew her nose into the toilet paper in a not so glam manner, which she was too tired to care about.

"I'm feeling like death today..." Lucy sneezed again.

"Oh hey Lucy!"

She looked to her left and notice a certain raven-haired teen call her name.

"Are you alright? You look sick."

"I caught a cold and my nose won't stop running. It really isn't my day."

"How did that happen?"

"Natsu and I ran in the rain the other day because we didn't have an umbrella."

"You and flame brain did?"

"Yeah and can you believe he's perfectly fine?! While I'm the one suffering here." she crossed her arms in anger.

"I see..."

"And he actually had the heart to laugh at me this morning! Saying I'm weak and this and that. Gosh life is unfair."

"Hmmm..."

Lucy realized that Gray wasn't listening to her complaints at all and was deep in his own thoughts.

"Is something wrong Gray?" the blonde asked concernedly.

"Lucy, there's something I have been meaning to ask you for awhile."

"Ask away."

"Do you by any chance... like Natsu?"

* * *

 **Cliffhanger ! So how do you guys like this chapter? I literally cracked my brains for it and I added tons of Nalu. school has been hell for me so i'm sorry once again for the slow updates !**

 **I have decided to change my genre B to humor instead of hurt/comfort because I realized I've been writing more funny scenes and sad scenes. What do you guys think? of course it's still mainly on romance. and chic flics are my favorite ^~^**

 **Once again, thank you guys for your support ! and if you could, please suggest to me some ideas as I'm running out of them. So I could also make it interesting for you guys! Stay tuned for the next chapter everyone !**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Do you by any chance... like Natsu?"

Hearing those words, it felt like something had just shot through her body. Embarrassment? Shock? Realization?

Does she?

"O-Of course not!" What are you talking about Gray?!" Lucy blurted out.

"Really?" he questioned with raised eyebrows.

"I-I mean, I like him as a friend! A really good friend! Definitely not in _that_ way!" she seemed to be getting more and more nervous as she spoke.

Gray sighed. "Well, that's a pity. Anyway, I have to head back to class. See you around."

Lucy wanted to stop Gray to ask him about his weird question but he turned around and walked off with his hands in his pockets before she could do anything. That short encounter left her flustered and she began questioning herself.

 _Do I?_

Images of Natsu and herself started flashing through her mind. How they ran in the rain together, how Natsu gave her Valentine's day chocolate. She could feel her face heating up. How much of a dork he is, how he makes her laugh, how he's always so dense and disappointing her to the point she doesn't even wanna think about it.

"That's impossible! Liking Natsu? Nah, not gonna happen- achoo!" she sneezed again.

"and this cold isn't getting better either."

She blew her nose into a piece of toilet paper and walked back to her classroom.

* * *

Lucy scribbled on her notebook quickly to catch up with the lesson but something was distracting her. She felt really cold and it was making her uncomfortable. Small droplets of cold sweat starting forming on her forehead, she wiped them away with a quick swipe of her left hand.

 _Is it just me or the weather's getting really chilly?_

"Remember to complete all your assignments! I'll be looking forward to punishing anyone who doesn't. See you kids tomorrow!" Mr. Gildarts flashed a toothy grin despite his words, he was really trying to scare us.

"Yes sir..." the class reluctantly responded.

Everyone got up to pack their bags and leave, so did Lucy. Just as she stood up, she felt her head spin and her vision blur. She stumbled and leaned towards her table for support.

 _What was that?_ She closed her eyes as her head throbbed. She didn't feel very good.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" Loke placed his hand on her shoulder with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm fine, I think I'm just too tired." Lucy assured him.

"You should go home to rest, Lu-chan. You've been pushing yourself really hard for school."

"Well, that's just me Levy!" Lucy joked.

Levy shook her head and laughed at her blonde friend who was still in the mood to joke around even in that condition.

"I guess I'll be heading home then! See you guys tomorrow!"

"Have a safe trip home, Lu-chan!"

When Lucy reached the classroom door, her head started spinning again. She held onto the doorknob to keep her balance but she felt all the muscles in her body weaken and she lost control of them. Before she knew it, she was on the floor.

"Lucy!"

"Lu-chan!"

She heard her friends calling out to her from a distance and footsteps running towards her. Her vision started getting blurry and she lost consciousness.

* * *

Lucy fluttered her eyelids open only to find herself back in her bedroom. She got up from her bed and noticed a sticky note placed on her bedside table.

 _You're down with a fever Lu-chan! Sheesh you should've just stayed at home if you were not feeling  
_ _well! You're gonna keep making us worry this way! I'm sorry I can't stay to take care of you  
but I made you some hot soup, __it's in a pot in the kitchen. Please rest and get well soon!_

 _-Levy_

She smiled to herself as she read the note, internally thanking her blue-haired friend. She slowly stood up from her bed and dragged her feet to the kitchen, still feeling very weak as she clutched onto the walls. Just then, the doorbell rang. Lucy made her way as quickly as she could to the door and opened it, getting a surprise from a certain someone.

"Yo Luce!"

"N-Natsu?!"

"I heard from Levy about what happened. Seriously Luce?! You should take better care of yourself, fainting in school like that is bad." Natsu lectured her.

"Excuse me Mister, I ran in the rain with you and you still laughed at me for catching a cold this morning- achoo!" she sneezed before she could finish her sentence.

"See, even your cold is telling you to not talk so much."

Lucy pouted and let Natsu into her apartment. "So why are you here?"

"To take care of you, of course."

"Take care of me?!" Lucy was in shock.

"Yeah cause' if I don't, who will? Plue? I don't think so."

"I can take care of myself, Natsu." she sighed.

"No you can't, you need to rest. Just depend on me for now, will you?" he sounded like he was pleading for a moment.

"Alright..."

Natsu carried Lucy to her bed and helped get Levy's hot soup for her to drink. For the first time, Natsu seemed very... reliable. Helping her beat up creepy stalkers was one thing, but Lucy has never seen such a soft side to Natsu. He patiently checked her temperature every now and then, told her lame jokes to keep her mind off this fever, carefully helping her to walk wherever she wanted and most importantly, always having that huge grin on his face. It made her feel all tingly for some reason. She grasped on her blanket tightly as shivers were sent throughout her entire body. Natsu noticed her shaking underneath her covers.

"Do you feel cold Luce?"

"Yea... really cold."

"Do you have any extra blankets lying around?"

Lucy shook her head sadly.

"I guess I have no choice then."

Natsu walked to Lucy bed and got into the bed with her, startling Lucy.

"W-W-Wh-What are y-you-" she couldn't even place her words properly.

"This would oughta keep you warm." he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to his body.

Lucy didn't say anything. Well, she was too shocked to. Her entire face was crimson red by now and she couldn't process her thoughts. To think that Natsu would actually hug her to keep her warm, woah hello. She could feel heat radiating from his body even with just a slight touch and his breathe on her neck, which made her have goosebumps. He was literally a human heater. She had to admit that it felt really comfortable and it was kind of surreal. She had never imagined getting so close to this pink-haired teen, to the extent of sleeping in the same bed. That thought made her even more flustered. She wondered if Natsu felt the same way. Lucy titled her head up a little to take a look at Natsu but he only pulled her closer, preventing her head from moving.

"Sleep, okay?" he whispered.

She nodded slightly and buried her head into his chest as she closed her eyes, soon drifting off into dreamland. Little did she know that Natsu was already blushing from ear to ear, but he didn't want her to see it. He didn't even know why he was doing this. Million of thoughts ran through his head as he held Lucy in his arms. Why was he acting like that? Lucy made him feel protective, even when she wasn't in any danger. He was just constantly worried for her safety and wellbeing. All these questions made him frustrated. This dense teen was too oblivious to figure anything out.

He lay on the bed with Lucy for 10 minutes before checking up on her, she was already in deep sleep. Natsu slowly unwrapped his arms and let go of her like she was some fragile glass. He adjusted her blanket on her to make sure she wouldn't get chilled while sleeping. He sat by the side of her bed, a little unwilling to leave, but it was already 9pm. He couldn't possibly have a sleepover at her house, he was afraid he would just wake her up from his horrendously loud snoring and sleep talking. Natsu gazed at Lucy as she peacefully slept. Small pieces of blonde hair from her bangs covered her face and he brushed it aside and tucked it behind her ear to reveal Lucy's angel-like face. He could probably stare at her forever. Natsu wasn't very much in his head and he just leaned in without thinking, gently kissing her forehead. He quickly pulled away when she twitched a little, afraid of waking her up. He smiled to himself, Lucy seemed almost like a child, someone he wanted to take care of.

"Goodnight, Luce."

With that, he left her apartment.

* * *

Lucy woke up the next morning feeling a lot better. Her fever was down and her nose wasn't running anymore, thanks to the care that her precious friends gave her. She thought back to what happened last night, the warmth of Natsu's body against her's, him hugging her ever so tightly. It made her smile like an idiot and her heart beat faster.

 _No Lucy, snap out of it._ She lightly knocked her head to clear her mind. Realizing that it was still a school day, Lucy reluctantly dragged herself out of bed to prepare for school. While brushing her teeth, her phone lit up. She immediately checked her phone and turns out she received tons of messages from her friends.

 _"Lu-chan, has your fever gone down? I'm so worried! And make sure you finish all my soup! :("_

 _"Are you alright Lucy? I'm so sorry for not taking enough care of you and it's all my fault! I'm willing to share some of my strawberry cheesecake to make you feel better :"_

 _"Hey bunny girl, Levy's so worried about you. You better get well soon."_

 _"Yo Lucy! You really scared me when you fainted yesterday. I hope you're all better now! ;)"_

 _"Hey Lucy, how ya feeling? Seriously, flame brain should've done a better job sheltering you from the rain. Anyway, get better fast!"_

 _"I hope you've recovered by now Lucy! Erza keeps blaming herself for what happened I don't even know why D:"_

And the last message that really caught her attention.

" _Yo Luce! How ya feeling today? I hope you're all fired up! I left a cold medicine and some snacks in your kitchen in case you were hungry. Remember to eat all of them or I'll get mad! Oh and I helped you entertain Plue for awhile too. He was really sad because you were sick! Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing you in school later on! If you need any help just give me a call :D"_

Lucy giggled at Natsu's dorkiness and her heart warmed at how caring he was. She held her phone on her chest for awhile before replying all of them. She felt so loved by all of her friends, it made her grateful and she couldn't ask for more. Lucy then took a quick shower, put on her uniform and headed off to school.

* * *

"Hi everyone!" Lucy called as she walked into the classroom.

"LUUU-CHAAAAN!" Levy ran towards Lucy and pounced on her. "I was so worried about you!" she sobbed a little.

"Come on, Levy. I'm fine now, aren't I?" Lucy comforted her blue-haired friend and patted her head.

"I'm so glad you're alright Lucy." Erza wiped away a shiny tear that formed at the corner of her eye. Lucy wondered if her friends were always this emotional.

"When you fainted, I almost had a heart attack." Loke placed his hand on his chest.

"Well thanks to Levy and Natsu, I'm completely back in shape now!" Lucy said as she walked to her seat and sat down.

"Natsu?" Erza asked. It was as if an imaginary question mark formed on the heads of her 3 friends.

 _Oh snap. Now I have to explain everything._

"Oh uhm... Natsu kind of visited me yesterday and took care of me, that's all!" _Y_ _eah, that's all._ She laughed nervously.

"I see, who knew Natsu could be so caring?" Erza smiled.

"Thank god he was there for you Lu-chan!"

"Yeah, thank god." There was a slight hint of jealousy in Loke's tone, Lucy noticed. And for some reason she felt a little guilty for mentioning Natsu.

"A-Anyway! Thank you guys for caring so much about me, I really appreciate it."

"No problem Lucy!"

It was time for their break and they headed for the cafeteria to eat with the others. As they approached the table where Natsu and the rest were seated at, Lucy noticed that an unfamiliar girl was seated there as well. She had long wavy brown hair that cascaded so perfectly down her back and gorgeous purple eyes. As Lucy got closer to the table, she and this girl made eye contact. The girl smiled at her and Lucy smiled back.

"Lucy you're back!" Gray welcomed her. They all took a seat as the rest welcomed them as well.

"Are you all fired up now?" Natsu asked with his usual grin.

"I sure am!" Lucy laughed.

"By the way Lucy, there's someone we'd like to introduce you to." Gray shifted his eyes to the brown-haired girl. "This is Cana."

"Nice to meet you Lucy! I've heard a lot about you from these boys." she held out her hand in Lucy's direction.

"Nice to meet you too Cana!" Lucy greeted and shook Cana's hand in response. "I don't see you in school a lot."

"She rarely attends classes cause' she's always having hangovers from drinking too much the previous night. I guess today is one of those rare days." Gray explained.

"Come on, Gray. One can never drink too much booze!" she slapped Gray on the back, causing him to groan.

"How do you not get a beer belly from all that drinking?" Natsu asked.

"That's cause' you suck, Natsu."

"That didn't make any sense!"

Lucy noticed Cana's interaction with Natsu and Gray. The 3 of them seemed really close with one another, which made her kinda envious, but not in bad way. Lucy's confused stare caught Cana's attention, causing her to suggest an idea out of the blue.

"Hey Lucy, are you free tonight?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I was thinking if you'd like to meet me at The Fairy Bar at 8, just the 2 of us. I'd like to talk to you more and get to know you better." Cana winked at Lucy.

"S-Sure!" Lucy was surprised by Cana's friendliness.

"Woah there, no invite for us?" Natsu crossed his arms.

"Nah, it's gonna be just me and Lucy."

"Oh fine." Natsu pouted.

* * *

Lucy walked into The Fairy Bar, it was crowded as usual. She looked around the place for Cana and she saw the brown-haired girl waving at her.

"Lucy! Over here!" Cana was seated at one of the corners. Lucy ran over to her and took a seat as well.

"I'm sorry I'm a little late!" She apologized.

"It's alright. Besides, as long as there is booze, I'm all entertained!" she picked up a barrel of booze and drank straight from it, startling Lucy.

"C-Cana, I don't think it's very good to drink straight from the barrel..." Lucy tried to stop her.

"It's fine Lucy! I'm used to it!" Cana took another big gulp of booze from the barrel.

Lucy was completely speechless as she realized that she and Cana were worlds apart in terms of drinking. She simply ordered a glass of orange juice to quench her thirst despite Cana's constant pleading for her to try some booze. She didn't want the same thing to happen again.

"So Lucy, I've heard a lot about you from Natsu and Gray. They're always talking about you!"

Lucy blushed and said," R-Really? Are you, Natsu and Gray very close?"

"Sure we are. We're all childhood friends! We grew up in the same town so we always played together when we were kids."

"I see. That's really nice, having close friends that you've known for such a long time."

"But you're very close to Natsu too right? You two hang out a lot, according to Gray." Cana leaned towards Lucy curiously.

"I-I guess so. We're pretty good friends!" _What did that idiot tell her?!_

"Have you ever wanted to know more about Natsu?"

That made Lucy question herself. She's never really asked Natsu about himself, in fact she didn't know much about him. That made her a little guilty, not showing much concern for her friend's past or whatsoever. "I'd love to know more about him!"

"Well you see, Natsu's had a pretty complicated past. It breaks my heart too to talk about it." Cana's eyes seemed to have sadness in them. Lucy raised a brow. She nodded her head, beckoning for Cana to continue.

"The 3 of us grew up in Clover Town, our parents were neighbors so they would let their kids play together. That's how we met. We became close really quickly. I was the mellow one, Gray was the cold one and Natsu was the one with a goofy and fiery personality. I wonder how we even clicked! It was a really joyful childhood. Natsu constantly told us about his dad, Igneel, about how much he loved him and how proud he was of him. Natsu lost his mom at birth, so Igneel single-handedly raised him up. He was always working really hard to support the family, but he would never forget to spend time with Natsu. He was a great man to me. But one day, Igneel got into an accident at work... and passed away."

Hearing that pulled on Lucy's heart strings, tears were starting to form in her eyes.

"Natsu was devastated. He lost his only family member left and he was only 8 years old. I can't imagine how he felt." Cana's expression hardened. "Gray and I tried our best to comfort him, but he always ended up secluding himself at home. He didn't talk or come into contact with anybody. For all I know, he was crying himself to sleep every night. Soon after, his aunt took him in and raised him as her own. But I guess Natsu never felt the same since Igneel was gone. He became a really gloomy person, completely different from who he was before. He never mixed around with the other kids anymore, he would sit in the corner of class all the time and head home straight after school. Gray and I couldn't bear to watch him like that, but whenever we tried to help him, he would brush it off."

Lucy stared down at the floor. "I never knew that Natsu had such a depressing past. It makes me feel bad for not ever being concerned about it. And to think he's the cheerful person he is now..."

"That's all thanks to Lisanna."

"L-Lisanna?"

"When we were 10, the Strauss siblings moved into our town and Lisanna attended the same school as us. She noticed Natsu always being an outcast and she tried making friends with him. He ignored her the first few times like how he did with everybody else, but eventually gave in due to her persistence and started talking to her. Needless to say, the 2 of them got closer and for the first time in 2 years, I finally saw a smile on Natsu's face. I never expected that this girl would be able to change Natsu back to the way he is, I guess she gave him a new light in his life. Natsu started talking to me and Gray more again too. Soon, the 4 of us became best of friends."

Lucy listened intently and smiled as she heard the happier part of it.

"Lisanna was a smart kid, scoring straight As in all her tests. She soon earned a scholarship and went to study abroad. Natsu didn't want her to leave, after all he's always had a little crush on her."

Lucy's eyes widened at that sentence. _Natsu likes Lisanna?_ Her heart ached a little. But why?

"But he didn't have a choice. He had a hard time dealing with her leaving and they didn't keep in touch due to her busy schedules. Natsu, Gray and I soon went our separate ways too. We moved to different towns and enrolled into different high schools, with Gray getting into Fairy Tail High. Natsu and his aunt moved to Hargeon and he attended a high school there. As for me, I enrolled into Quatro Cerberus Academy but it was full of guys and I couldn't stand it! So I transferred into Fairy Tail High after awhile. Little did I know, Natsu transferred here as well. He moved out from his aunt's place and started living on his own here in Magnolia. That's how the 3 of us reunited."

"So you and Natsu transferred in while I was abroad, no wonder I didn't get to meet you guys!"

"That's right!" Cana giggled. "But I'm glad that I still got to meet you now."

Lucy blushed at Cana's comment, but she realized something. "Wait, so Lisanna transferred into Fairy Tail High too right?"

"Yeah, a few months after we did. Natsu was so happy to see her again, so were Gray and I. But who knew that she'd change so much in just 2 years?" Cana sighed. That last sentence made Lucy confused.

"What happened to her?" Lucy asked.

"She became a bitch." Lucy flinched at Cana's harsh words. "Gray and I noticed how different she was and even though Gray was okay with, I definitely wasn't. As for Natsu, he was probably too hopelessly in love with her and only saw her good side. Fast forward another few months, they started dating. I was completely against that idea but Gray stopped me from saying anything, I guess if Natsu was happy we shouldn't interfere. Gray really supported their relationship, until _that_ happened."

"That?" Before Lucy could get an answer, something came flying towards them and crashing into their table. Someone threw Ichiya in their direction, he was probably going around sniffing people and pissed someone off. It caused Lucy to yelp and fall back on her chair.

"WHO THREW THIS THING HERE?!" Cana slammed her fists on the table.

"I'm not a thing!" Ichiya commented. Cana lifted 2 barrels of booze and threw them to the other side of the bar. Needless to say, another brawl started again. Lucy sighed at the childishness of all those people, but found it really amusing as well. She enjoyed this lively atmosphere. Well, until a chair got thrown in her face.

"Why do I have to get caught up in this?" Lucy sobbed.

That night, Cana and Lucy talked about a lot of things and Lucy managed to find out so much more about Natsu. What he likes, what he doesn't like and his little quirks and habits which she could probably use against him in the future. In no time at all, Cana and Lucy got really close. They were similar in many ways, except the booze part. Cana got so drunk she fainted so her drinking partner, Macao, offered to take her home since he knows where she lives. Lucy on the other hand, made it back to her apartment herself and was welcomed warmly by Plue.

"Natsu and Lisanna huh?" Lucy said to herself as she sat down on her couch. Her chest felt heavy and she couldn't get her mind off what Cana told her.

 _"Natsu always had a little crush on Lisanna."_

 _"He was too hopelessly in love with her."_

 _Why did Natsu say that he never really liked Lisanna? Why did he lie? Who is Lisanna to him? They're not dating anymore, so does he still like her? Why does he act that way around her? Why am I so affected by all of this?_

She had no idea why, but her heart was aching like crazy. She clenched her fists and placed them on her chest. _Stop it Lucy._ For a moment there, maybe just for a second, she thought that maybe, just maybe, Natsu liked her. So many maybes. But that was probably not the case. Natsu has always been so friendly and helpful to everyone, he was close to all of his friends and he didn't treat any of them indifferently. What was she thinking? She felt... hurt. But why? She couldn't possibly like him... right?

"You can't like him Lucy. Suppress your feelings, or you're gonna get hurt." she teared.

* * *

 **Hi readers ! This is the longest chapter I have written so far and hopefully I can keep up with the consistency, or maybe make it even longer. Once again, lots of Nalu fluff and oh my god my heart was aching while writing this ! It's like I can feel Lucy.**

 **Exams are around the corner and there's so much stress right now ! But writing fanfics really is a stress reliever : I'm trying to come up with more drama so it'll be more interesting and I know there are a lot of holes in the story now but questions will soon be answered in the upcoming chapters :-) like what did Lisanna do to Natsu blah blah. But for now, have fun guessing :D**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter !**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Lucy dragged her feet down the hallways as she hung her head low. She really wasn't in the mood to attend classes today due to her lack of sleep. But considering exams were near, she didn't have a choice. Her purplish eye bags made it look like someone punched her in the eyes and she didn't even bother putting her hair up in her signature side pony-tail. She yawned really loudly with her mouth wide open, not bothering to care about her image anymore. Since the talk with Cana last night, her mind has been filled with Natsu and Lisanna. Natsu and Lisanna. Everything just... Natsu and Lisanna. She popped a coin into the vending machine to get herself a cup of coffee.

"Lucy, get your shit together. Stop thinking about unnecessary things that aren't even related to you." she said to herself. She bit her lip hard and clenched her fists because all she did was make herself think more. Gosh how she hated the way the brain worked. Lucy watched as coffee flowed out of the machine into a small Styrofoam cup and listened to the sound of the gushing liquid. She was trying to hard to just concentrate on something else, anything. But how was she gonna do that when Natsu kept appearing everywhere?

"Hey Luce, didn't think I'd bump into you here!" it was as if he could track her scent or something. Lucy avoided his gaze and gave him a tired smile. She didn't know what to say either.

"Are you alright? You look really bummed out." Natsu noticed the uneasiness in her eyes.

"Y-Yeah.. I'm fine, just didn't get enough sleep." Lucy still wasn't looking into his eyes.

"Did Cana make you drunk?" he inched closer to her.

"No I stayed away from booze!"

"If she tries to do anything funny, you have to tell me! That girl can get really crazy sometimes!" Natsu cupped Lucy's cheeks tightly with his palms with a hardened look on his face.

Lucy flinched back in shock and lightly slapped his hands away without thinking. "D-Don't do that!"

It surprised Natsu as well and he retracted his hands. There was a small sign of hurt in his expression. Lucy's eyes widened as she realized what she had done.

"I'm sorry..." she muttered and ran away.

"W-Wait! You forgot your-" Natsu reached out his hand to her but Lucy had already disappeared.

"-coffee."

He had absolutely no idea what just happened and why Lucy was acting this way towards him. _Did I do something wrong?_ Natsu scratched his head and headed back to class.

* * *

"I can't believe I overreacted, I shouldn't have done that! He probably doesn't even know what's on my mind anyway so what am I avoiding him for?! I don't even like that idiot! Yeah I don't!" Lucy scolded herself.

She calmed herself down after awhile and said,"I really should apologize to Natsu."

She took out her phone to text Natsu but as soon as she walked out of the school gate, she saw him. _What the heck?! Is fate playing with me?!_ When she regained her composure, she noticed that Natsu was talking to a girl. She had long, wavy blonde hair that gathered at the back of her head and tied in a ponytail. Her eyes were a light blue color and she was sporting the Blue Pegasus High uniform. _What is a student from Blue Pegasus High doing here?_ Just then she was dragged behind the school gate by a strong arm.

"What the-"

"SHHHHH!" Erza and Gray placed a finger over their mouths. Lucy was startled for a moment.

"What are you guys doing?" she whispered.

"Spying on flame brain and that girl."

Lucy looked back to that pretty blonde. "Who is she?"

"Jenny Realight, Blue Pegasus High's poster girl. She participated in the Miss Fiore pageant last year and won 1st place. Mirajane did too and she got 2nd." Erza explained.

Lucy wowed at the title of Miss Fiore. But Jenny has such a top model physique, it's no wonder she won. "So what's she doing here?"

"Basically Jenny asked Natsu out on a date because she's crushin' on him. And he actually agreed. I would never understand why someone like Jenny would have the hots for that flame brain." Gray face palmed. Lucy felt a little sour upon hearing that and it made her really paranoid again. _Does Natsu like Jenny? Oh god Lucy this has nothing to do with you!_ She slapped herself really hard.

"Why did you slap yourself? Are you okay?" Gray asked.

"T-There was a fly on my face." she tried covering up with a lie.

"You probably should shower more often."

"I shower everyday mind you."

"Guys come on they're leaving!" Erza dragged Lucy and Gray after Jenny and Natsu.

"Why am I coming along?!" Lucy screamed.

They followed Jenny and Natsu to a nearby shopping mall and into a restaurant called Burger Queen. The 3 of them sat at a table 2 seats away from the duo and used the menu to cover their faces.

"Are you sure stalking them is a good idea?" Lucy asked.

"We aren't stalking them, we're doing intense investigation on an individual." Erza replied.

"Aren't they the same thing?!"

Even though Lucy wasn't comfortable with following Natsu and Jenny on their date, she definitely was curious. She watched Natsu laugh happily as he chatted with Jenny, the 2 of them looked very comfortable with each other and Jenny was totally into her pink haired friend. Lucy unknowingly pouted at that sight. Was she jealous? She could hear Natsu cracking ridiculous jokes to make Jenny laugh and it kind of pissed her off somehow. But Natsu has always been friendly to everybody hasn't he?

"Do you think he likes her?" Erza asked.

"He's like this to everybody so I can't tell." Gray answered.

After Natsu and Jenny finished their meal, they got up and walked out of the restaurant. "Come on let's go!" Erza, Gray and Lucy swiftly went after them. They followed the duo all the way to the arcade where Jenny pulled Natsu into a photo booth so they couldn't see them from outside.

"That is totally a typical date activity." Gray commented. Lucy couldn't help but feel a little upset because she's never taken a photo with Natsu before and they've already been close friends for quite some time. But there was Jenny having her way with him already. The arcade was particularly noisy that day and the 3 of them automatically noticed the commotion. Many people were crowding around a certain arcade game and they just had to check it out while waiting for Natsu and Jenny to come out of the photo booth. They squeezed through the crowd and realized that there was a new game in the arcade.

"What is this game?" Gray questioned.

"It's a newly launched game called Pandemonium." a familiar voice answered. The 3 of them turned their heads to the side and realized that the familiar voice came from Hibiki, a Blue Pegasus student. He was a very good looking man, with messy brownish blonde hair and dark eyes. He was constantly topping the school in terms of academics and needless to say, he was very popular with the ladies.

"I haven't seen you in awhile, Hibiki." Erza greeted him.

"You're still as beautiful as always, Erza. And who might this gorgeous lady be?" Hibiki kneeled in front of Lucy and took her hand.

"Lucy..."

"I see, Lucy. What a beautiful-" before Hibiki could finish, Erza kicked him away from Lucy. "Dear god he hasn't changed at all..."

Hibiki immediately got up and brushed the dust off his clothes stylishly. "Anyway, are you guys interested to try this new game? It's limited edition and maybe we could challenge one another."

"Well then, if it's a challenge, I'm down." Erza said.

"I think we'll pass." Lucy and Gray backed off.

"Explain the rules, Hibiki."

"The rules are simple. Each player will go into the Pandemonium castle one by one and fight a number of monsters for points. They can select how many monsters they want to fight, both the monsters and the player sequence will be randomized. The game is set to go on until all 100 monsters are defeated. But be warned that those monsters aren't easy to defeat. So are you up for the challenge?"

"Definitely." Erza rolled up her sleeves and cracked her knuckles. She, Hibiki and a few other players entered their names into the game and was shuffled randomly. Turns out, Erza was the first in line.

"So how many monsters are you gonna fight?"

"Since I can choose any amount I want, I'll go with 100."

"WHAT?!" everybody screamed.

"A-Are you sure?" Hibiki tried to make Erza change her mind.

"Very sure." Erza walked towards the game screen and pressed 'start'. She held the controllers tightly as she prepared her player for the incoming monsters. As soon as the game started, Erza had already thrashed numerous monsters. The crowd stared at her in awe while Lucy and Gray cheered her on. Erza devilishly slammed the control buttons Lucy couldn't sworn she saw devil horns grow out of her head and fire emitting from her body. It was a pretty scary sight. Erza's player only had a little HP left but she persevered and after 15 minutes, Erza successfully defeated all 100 monsters and conquered Pandemonium. The crowd gawked at her in shock while Gray and Lucy were jumping in joy. The game round was over since Erza already defeated all the monsters. Who knew that Erza was good at gaming? She probably wasn't joking when she said the student council president is good at everything.

"I'm sorry that took longer than I expected." Erza walked towards Lucy and Gray.

"Longer than she expected?!" Hibiki screamed.

Erza's eyes shifted to the photo booth and she noticed that it was empty. She looked around for Natsu and Jenny but they were nowhere to be seen. "Oh shoot we have to go!" Erza dragged her 2 friends out of the arcade.

"Where do you think they went?"

"We spent such a long time at the arcade they probably left already!"

The 3 of them searched around the shopping mall but they found no trace of Natsu and Jenny.

"Oh well, I guess our intense investigation ends here. The both of you are probably tired already anyway." Erza said.

"You still think it's an investigation?!"

"You should head home Lucy. Thanks for coming with us anyway!" Gray said.

"More like you dragged me here!" Lucy huffed.

"But you're curious aren't you? About Natsu and Jenny. I mean we are too."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm heading home, bye guys!" she waved the other 2 goodbye and left the shopping mall.

Lucy's way back to her apartment gave her some time to settle her thoughts. "Natsu has way too many girls in his life. Girls that like him in fact." She flinched at her last sentence.

"No Lucy, you do not like Natsu. . .NATSU." Lucy kept chanting that to herself and she was on the urge of ramming her head into a nearby brick wall. She sighed loudly. _I can't believe I'm getting so frustrated over this. It isn't worth your time, Lucy._ As she neared her apartment, her eyes widened at a familiar figure standing at her door. The figure noticed her and walked towards her.

"Luce! You're finally back!"

"Natsu? What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you to come home. I uhm... needed to ask you something." Natsu's eyes shifted.

"What is it?" these kind of situations always made Lucy particularly nervous.

"Did I do something to make you angry?"

Lucy was shocked at Natsu's question. "What are you talking about? Of course not!"

"I thought that you were avoiding me in school today, so I'm sorry if I did something wrong!" Natsu said with a face full of guilt. He actually realized that something was wrong with her today, turns out Natsu wasn't as dense as she thought. Lucy couldn't help but feel bad.

"No, I'M sorry. You didn't do anything wrong, Natsu. I just overreacted! I felt really guilty for creating so much tension between us and I really wanted to apologise." Lucy started tearing up.

"H-Hey! Why are you crying?! It isn't your fault, it's mine!" Natsu started slapping himself. Lucy noticed his stupidity and she burst out laughing.

"You are such an idiot!" she slapped Natsu's back and he laughed along as well.

"I'm glad we cleared things up. I wouldn't want anything to come between our friendship." Natsu grinned. Lucy blushed and smiled back at him. There was an awkward silence for awhile because the 2 didn't know what to say anymore. But Lucy didn't want Natsu to leave just yet so she just randomly started a topic.

"I uhm, saw you at the shopping mall with a girl just now. She's Miss Fiore isn't she? Were the both of you on a date?" Lucy pretended to not know anything.

Natsu seemed a little taken aback by Lucy's question but answered anyway. "Yea we were. But she was the one who asked me out."

"S-So, d-do you like her? I mean, she's so pretty and you looked very happy!"

"I like her as a friend, Luce. I've only known her for a few days and she's a great person but I don't think I'll ever like her in a romantic way. I told her that before she left and she understands, so we're just really good friends now! But I just felt really bad rejecting her when she asked me out." Natsu looked shy as he explained to Lucy.

"I don't think any man would reject her, she's Miss Fiore after all." Lucy looked down at her feet.

"Honestly, Luce." Natsu proceeded to place his hand on Lucy's head. "I'd choose you over her any day."

Lucy stoned for at least 10 seconds before she could absorb what Natsu just said. _He would choose me over freakin' Jenny Realight? Miss Fiore?!_ Lucy's cheeks turned a scarlet red that could rival Erza's hair in mere seconds and steam came out from her head.

She backed a few steps away from Natsu and he raised a brow at her. "You must be having a fever or some sort! You're acting really weird and you're starting to say nonsensical things! You mustn't be in the right state of mind right now!" she used a single finger to scratch her face nervously and she avoided as much eye contact as she could with the pink haired teen.

"Lucy I was dead serious!" Natsu crossed his arms and Lucy's body tensed up at that.

"N-No you aren't! Come on, I think you should go home to rest or you're gonna get even weirder! And you should start studying more too if you have so much time! Erza isn't happy with your grades!" she tried coming up with all sorts of excuses she could think of. She pushed Natsu in the direction of his house to urge him to go home.

"Aren't you the weird one?!"

"Just go home, hurry!" she continued to push him.

"Alright alright!" Natsu suddenly stepped forward, causing Lucy to stumble a little bit.

"See you soon, Luce. Stop acting so weird, it's rubbing off on me." Natsu waved back facing her.

Lucy sighed heavily and ran into her apartment. _Seriously Natsu?! Saying things like that to annoy me?!_ She huffed and stormed into her bedroom. Her heart was still beating really fast even if she thought that what Natsu said was a joke. Man, sweet talk really gets to her. She walked to her book shelves and tried finding a book to read, possibly in an effort to calm herself down. She looked through the gazillions of books she had and one stood out to her. She pulled it out of the shelf, the title was 'Seeking For The Clock'. Her eyes widened as she remembered how this book came about. This was actually a book that she had written herself after having a dream. It was a dream that left a deep impression on her so she decided to put it in words. It's been 2 years since Lucy read this book and she nearly forgot about it's existence, she hasn't written other books since either.

She sat at her desk and started reading her own work. She laughed at her 14 year old self trying to come up with all those crazy imaginations and love stories. She was the main protagonist in the story and the man in the story whom she fell in love with, somehow reminded her of her very own pink haired friend. He was strong, goofy, really dense and he cared deeply for all of his friends. She didn't give the man a name though, she couldn't come up with one. Maybe she could just name him Natsu, since they are so alike. Her favorite part of the story was the ending, where Lucy herself was falling from the sky like a shooting star and this man ran after her with all his might. He managed to catch and the both of them crashed straight into the hard ground, somehow surviving. It really was like a scene in a fairy tale.

Lucy let her imagination flow. What if the man who caught her was Natsu? She was actually making up the entire scene in her head right now and it fit his character so much. But why would she fall from the sky anyway right? She giggled and closed the book.

"I was such a hopeless young girl, thinking so much about love and such." Well maybe she still is. Nonetheless, Lucy's dream has always been to be a writer, and nothing has changed her mind.

She prepared to take a shower and made her way to the bathroom. Just then, her phone lit up. Turns out she received a text from Loke.

 _"Hey Lucy! Are you free tomorrow night?"_

She replied, _"Yes, what's up?"_

 _"Do you wanna go out for dinner? Just the 2 of us."_

Oh shoot.

* * *

 _ **So how did you guys like my twist on Pandemonium? HAHAHA. I felt that it was the best scene from the GMG arc cause' all hail titania ! it was epic af don't argue with me on that one HAHA. anyways, i'm finally back after my exams and FREEDOM. i'll be going on vacation for a week so I won't be able to write fanfics for awhile :'( but a week will go by quickly!**_

 _ **like always, any criticism will be accepted and if u have any suggestions please feel free to tell me! I will gladly accept. till next time, stay tuned for the next chapter! NALU FOR LYF.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hey readers, I'm back ! Guess who got sick after coming back from her vacation -_- what luck I have :,) anyways! i'm back with a long chapter because i'm taking forever to update (as always). don't think that i'd disappear because I won't ;)**_

 _ **also, I realized that I don't really respond to reviews so from now on, I'll be replying them at the start of every chapter as long as there are any HAHA so don't be afraid to ask any questions ! I'll reveal the info that I can but no spoilers !**_

 _ **Fairy Tail 4lyf : wait for it ;)**_

 _ **Enjoy the chapter !**_

 **Chapter 9**

"I have nothing to wear!" Lucy dug through her piles and piles of clothes. She had 3 closets that were about to burst from the amount of clothes that she had and some were even thrown into boxes and kept under her bed, but she didn't know what to pick for her date tonight. She has been trying on different outfits since 6pm and it was already 7.30pm, she was gonna be late at this rate.

 _"So I'll see you at 8 Lucy!"_ Loke's voice echoed through Lucy's head and she sighed. "Why did I even agree to this?"

Lucy instantly regretted saying yes. She's been on dates before and they always made her nervous, but not as nervous as this one. She felt bad rejecting Loke, after all it's just a date, not a request for a relationship. How bad could it get? She didn't tell her friends about it yet either because Erza would start getting super protective and Levy would give Loke creepy looks. She wanted to keep this a secret for now, or at least until the date was over. In the end, Lucy picked out a lacey dress with a sweet-heart neckline that stopped mid-thigh, she paired it with nude strappy heels and she let her hair down with some curls at the ends. She put on some pink lip gloss as well. It's been forever since she dressed up for a date so she couldn't help but doll herself up a little more.

"This should do." Lucy adjusted her dress in front of the mirror to fit her curves better and she was satisfied with her outfit. She then grabbed her clutch and headed out to the restaurant which she and Loke decided to meet at. When she got there, Loke was already waiting at the entrance of the restaurant. He had on a black and white suit with a striped tie, simple yet classy. Lucy had to admit that he looked really good. She took a deep breath before walking towards him.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!"

"It's okay, I just got here. By the way, you look amazing."

Lucy looked down to her feet shyly. "T-Thank you. You look great too!"

"So shall we go grab dinner?" Loke gestured to the fancy restaurant behind him.

"Of course!"

The waiter led the duo to their seats and handed them the menu. Lucy looked through it and gasped at the prices. It wasn't as if she couldn't afford it, after all she's always been eating dishes of a way higher end back at her mansion. But ever since she started living alone, she's been saving up and eating more 'normal' foods. And she was afraid of making a big hole in Loke's wallet. After 5 minutes, the both of them ordered their food and just like any other fancy restaurant, the food was taking forever to arrive and Lucy was starving. Her stomach growled loudly and Loke giggled, making Lucy flustered.

"I see that you're hungry already." Loke leaned forward.

"I didn't have my lunch and the aroma of food everywhere isn't making it any better." she sighed.

Loke just laughed charmingly at how adorable Lucy was. "We haven't really caught up ever since we reunited. How have your parents been?"

"They're doing great! They've been running their trading business in Acalypha at Love and Lucky. I helped them out for a year and specially transferred back to Fairy Tail High for my last year of high school. Who knew I'd run into you again?"

"Looks like I didn't make the wrong choice of transferring out of Blue Pegasus High. I'm glad I got to see you again after so many years."

"Why did you anyway? Blue Pegasus High is an amazing school, isn't it?"

"I have some bad memories made there that I'd rather not talk about." Loke shifted his gaze from Lucy and she decided not to question further.

"I see, I'm sorry I asked." Lucy looked apologetic.

"It's fine, don't feel guilty or anything!" Loke said in the most comforting manner he could. Making Lucy sad was the last thing he wanted. "Come on, give me a smile! And all is well." He handed a single rose to her in a gentlemanly manner.

Lucy was stunned for awhile before taking the rose in her hand and giving him the loveliest smile he has ever seen from any woman. He would do anything to make her smile like that everyday. Despite all the girls he dated, Lucy was still the most beautiful girl he's ever met even though they're not actually dating. No one compared. He was sure that many guys out there felt the same way as well because honestly, who wouldn't be mesmerized by the eyes of this blonde? "Thank you." her soothing voice flowed into his ears. There was an awkward silence as Loke just stared at her, completely drawn in by her beauty.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" Lucy was way too oblivious.

"Nothing." Loke smiled at her.

Their food arrived and the duo continued chatting while munching on their delicious dinner. They enjoyed the atmosphere of the fancy restaurant for awhile and finally left after an hour. They took a slow walk around Magnolia, enjoying the night breeze and peacefulness. The cold wind brushed against Lucy's skin and it sent her chills. Damn, she forgot to bring a jacket. She rubbed her shoulders to keep herself warm when she felt a soft fabric being placed over her shoulders. Instantly, her body felt warmer.

"I knew you'd feel cold in that." Loke shook his head.

Lucy adjusted Loke's blazer. "T-Thank you... again."

"Don't mention it. The man has to protect the lady after all." he winked at Lucy, making her cheeks burn up unwillingly.

They continued strolling until they reached a fountain located in the town's center. The fountain was always the most beautiful at night and it was the perfect spot for couples who were on dates. Lucy sat on the edge of the fountain and dipped her hand into the crystal clear water, admiring its tranquility. Loke sat down beside her and clenched his fists. _Should I do it?_ He has been thinking long and hard. It's been 3 years since he last saw her, now's the chance to finally show her how much she meant to him... again. He was determined.

"Lucy." With so much seriousness in his tone, it surprised her a little bit. But she responded nonetheless.

"What is it?"

"I need to talk to you about something important."

These kind of confrontations always made Lucy scared. Her palms started getting sweaty as she lifted her hand up from the fountain water. Her orbs looked straight into Loke's, she knew what this was about. Lucy swallowed her saliva.

"What do you think of me as a person now, Lucy?" the seriousness is his tone still hasn't faded away.

Words scrambled in her head as she tried to think of answers. "Y-You're a great person, Loke. You always have been! You're always taking care of me, being there for me, I wouldn't wanna ever lose you! I-"

"Then are you ready to accept me now?"

"Loke... I-"

"I like you, Lucy. Or maybe even love. People used to make fun of me because I was chubby and because I ate too much, but you didn't. You comforted me and became my friend. You gave me a light in my life and I never wanna lose that. You could say it was love at first sight but I fell for you even more as time passed. We reunited after 3 years, I guess fate brought us together again so that I could tell you how I feel once more. You haven't changed one bit. You're the kindest, the most gracious, the strongest and the most beautiful. How could I not fall for a girl like that? You may think that the first 3 times I confessed my love for you were jokes, but that was because we were only kids. Now that we're both grown up, I want you to take me seriously. My feelings for you are real, Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy didn't know how to take this all in. She's never had such a serious confession in her life and it's coming from one of her closest friends. But there was one thing she knew for sure, it was that her answer was still gonna be the same.

"I'm sorry, Loke. I know your feelings for me are real and I acknowledge them. But I only like you as a good friend, I always have and I can't force myself to like you any other way if I don't. That'll be wrong for the both of us. You're a great guy and I'm sure there are many other girls out there who want your attention. I'm sure you'll find the right one for you but as of now, it isn't me. I'm really sorry." Lucy inwardly heaved a sigh of relief as she managed to push out all the words she wanted to say, to make a clear and concise rejection. She was impressed that she managed to firmly take a stand.

Loke's expression softened, he looked almost defeated. "I see. I guess nothing's changed. I understand and I'm not going to force you either."

"Thank you Loke. And I'm sorry once again." her heart ached at the thought of hurting him.

"There's no need to be sorry. Rejections are normal, aren't they? So shall I walk you home?" Lucy nodded.

The walk back was completely silent. Neither one of them said anything to each other and Lucy was just feeling worse and worse. Getting rejected once by someone you like is bad enough, but 4 times? Lucy would never understand what was on Loke's mind. But she was amazed by how much Loke grew. When she rejected him in middle school, he would start weeping in a corner and she would probably have to comfort him for an hour. But now, he just accepted it. Loke sent Lucy to her front door and they waved goodbye from there. But before Loke left...

"Lucy, I know that I said I wouldn't force you." he began walking closer and closer to Lucy. "But just like what I said in the first, second and third time..." he proceeded to cup her cheeks with his hands.

"Loke, what are you-"

In a split second, Loke's lips were planted on her's. Lucy's eyes widened at the sudden contact and her body stiffened to rocks. Loke was kissing her. But he pulled away almost immediately and released his hands from her face. "I will wait for you."

He turned around and left. Lucy was left there frozen, she couldn't believe what just happened. She ran into her apartment, shutting the door behind her and sliding to the floor. She was scared yet a little flustered at the same time. Her mind couldn't process the current situation and what state she just left herself in. This made her feel even more regretful for accepting Loke's date in the first place. Did she unintentionally lead him on? She could have just destroyed their friendship in her own hands if she couldn't face him after this due to awkwardness. The lingering feeling of Loke's lips made her even more uncomfortable, thank god it wasn't her first kiss. She bit her lip and walked into her room, grabbing the snowman soft toy that Loke gave her last time. She jumped onto her bed and repeatedly punched the soft toy lightly. She didn't wanna ruin it but she needed to vent her frustration on something that reminded her of Loke. She stopped after a few minutes to take a breather. Her face was still flushed as the incident kept playing in the back of her mind. She hugged the soft toy and lay under the covers with it.

 _What the hell?! What the hell Loke?!_

* * *

It's been weeks since _that_ happened and Lucy was still avoiding Loke at all costs. To make matters worse, he was seated right beside her during class. Loke always made an effort to talk to her but their conversations were just beyond awkward. Lucy couldn't help it. She would dash out of class straight after the bell rings and run to the cafeteria or something, anything that allowed her to be out of Loke's sight. She wondered how long she could keep this up. Her friends probably already noticed how weird she was acting but she didn't have time to care about that. She needed to sort out her feelings and in the meantime, prevent anything from influencing them. Today was no different. Lucy bumped into Loke at the tennis court and before he could even mutter a word, she ran to the female changing room.

"Oh no, what am I doing?! Whenever I see him my legs just automatically start moving on their own! I need to stop, I'm only making things worse. You're so stupid Lucy!" she lectured herself repeatedly as she walked into the changing room and she noticed that there was no one around except for that one person she did not want to see the most. _Lisanna._

"Oh Lucy? Fancy meeting you here." the white-haired beauty shut her locker and turned to the blonde. Her tone of voice was as if she was trying really hard to be friendly to Lucy.

"H-Hi Lisanna." Lucy shifted her gaze, remembering what Natsu told her before. _Be careful of Lisanna._ Well there was no way she could escape if this tigress wanted to pounce on her now, but it couldn't get that bad right?

Lisanna scanned Lucy from head to toe before continuing with another sentence. "So, have you been getting closer to Natsu? The both of you seem like... how should I say it? A couple?" she began folding her uniform, acting as if that question wasn't very significant to her.

"What are you talking about? We're not together, we're just really good friends!" Lucy flailed her hands.

"Come on, it's just the both of us here. Don't lie to me. Everybody's been talking about you and Natsu." she says while still smiling a little. But her tone suddenly turned dead. "It annoys me, you know?"

"I swear, Lisanna. Natsu and I are just friends!" Lucy tried convincing her and not fighting back in any way. Who knows what would happen if she picked a fight with this mean girl?

"If that's the case..." Lisanna turned left and right, double-checking if there was anyone else around. "Stay away from Natsu."

Lucy's eyes widened. She expected someone like Lisanna to make a request like this, or more like a demand. But she was still disturbed, yet angered. She didn't want to back down. "Lisanna, I understand how you feel but Natsu and I are friends. And it's not like you're dating him now so you don't have the right to tell me to stay away from him." she stood there firmly, proud of her retaliation. But Lisanna wasn't one to give in either.

"I don't care. He's mine. And you ain't getting him." her glare was almost menacing.

"Try me." Lucy said, glaring right back.

The both of them stayed that way for awhile before Lisanna grabbed her bag and left. _So you wanna play that game, Blondie? Fine then. I'll play with you._

Lucy's muscles softened when Lisanna stormed out. _Lucy, you just landed yourself in big trouble._

"I guess there's only one person I can turn to for this." she took out her phone and started dialing a number. "Cana? I need girl talk, fast."

* * *

"You are stupid."

"I'm sorry! That was the only argument I could think of at that moment!" Lucy has been apologizing repeatedly to her brown-haired friend. Cana agreed to go over to Lucy's place for some girl talk, claiming she can survive one night without booze for the sake of her friend.

"It's not the first time anyone has picked a fight with Lisanna, but picking a fight with her over Natsu? I've never met anyone as crazy as you. That chick's possessive of everything she thinks she owns, which is twisted."

"Could tell. And the last part kind of slipped out of my mouth. I really don't mean to snatch him or anything, I just can't stay away."

"Of course you can't, I wouldn't let some ex-girlfriend interfere with my friendships either. You need to show Lisanna who's boss."

"She's gonna be doing that right back at me."

"I would pay to see the both of you have a catfight, it would be a total bloodbath." Cana laughed ferociously.

"And I would probably lose in mere seconds, she's vicious."

"True that."

They both sighed in unison.

"Say Lucy, do you have feelings for Natsu?" Cana leaned back on the sofa and asked.

"I don't know Cana." It was the first time Lucy wasn't getting all nervous and jittery when asked this question about the pink-haired boy. She was surprised herself. She started fiddling with her fingers. "He can be really sweet at times, and protective, and funny. Not to mention ridiculously good looking. But yet he can be so dense and oblivious, it can get pretty annoying. I don't know."

Cana listened intently and was nodding her head along the way. She's never heard anyone speak of Natsu that way, or maybe it was just Natsu not showing this side of him to anyone else. "You're just unsure of your feelings, my dear. But don't even bother denying that there aren't any."

Lucy giggled. "Nah, I won't. At least right now. I'll just have to slowly find out for myself."

"To add on, it's been so long since Natsu and Lisanna broke up. It's time for him to find new love as well." Cana winked.

"New love? I ain't ready for that."

"Come on, Lucy. You and Natsu have been friends for months now, close ones to be exact. If someone were to tell me Natsu had a crush on you, I would be convinced. Besides, he's always talking about you."

Lucy shook her head in disapproval. "I just don't think... Natsu would be interested in someone like me. Giving him things like 'a new light in his life'? I'm not so much of a miracle like Lisanna, or at least she was. If I did like him, I wouldn't expect him to like me back, even if I wanted him to." Her eyes showed disappointment.

"I can't force you either if you're not willing. But making sure of your own feelings are of priority now. And make sure you tell Erza and Levy everything too." Cana patted Lucy on the shoulder.

"You're right." Lucy smiled. Cana gave her a soft smile as well.

 _There's really no helping to young love._

* * *

-Meanwhile at Jellal's place-

"Guys, I made a huge mistake." Loke sat on the floor while munching on a huge packet of potato chips. Sour cream flavored was his favorite.

"What it?" Gajeel asked, laying on Jellal's couch with closed eyes.

"I made too fast of a move on Lucy."

"How fast?" Jellal was trying to get Netflix to work. Yes, dudes actually do the whole 'Netflix and chill'.

"I kissed her."

"Dude what the hell?!" Jellal exclaimed while Gajeel just muttered a soft "Crazy ass". Natsu and Gray just listened in silence.

"So I'm assuming that you confessed as well." Gray said after a few moments.

"Call me stupid but yeah."

"Didn't we tell you to save the confession for another date? Not only did you not do that, you kissed her too. Boy you really know how to rush things." Jellal reprimanded Loke. He's probably the love expert out of the 5 guys, considering he's dating Erza. Natsu just nodded along the way.

"Sorry guys, I should've listened. Needless to say, I got rejected for the fourth time. It's pretty depressing if you ask me. Lucy and I are just on really awkward terms right now, she keeps avoiding me." he sighed deeply.

"Give her some time, dude. There's always another chance. Maybe one day she'll change her mind and finally accept you." Jellal tried to soothe the heart of his heartbroken friend.

"Yeah, maybe." Gray said.

"You're right. Thanks for listening to my annoying rants once again, you guys really are my bros." Loke laughed.

The 5 of them snacked, joked, played and watched Netflix all night till' 3am. They haven't had a bro session since forever and they just really enjoyed the time they could have together now. Jellal and Loke got really sleepy so they went to the bedrooms to take a nap, they probably only needed an hour since they don't sleep much in the first place. But Natsu, Gray and Gajeel were still in the living room having their own talk.

"Do you think Lucy will accept Loke one day?" Gray asked out of the blue.

"Nah." was all Gajeel said. Blunt was all he was. Maybe violent too. Natsu still didn't say a word.

"Why are you so quiet Flame brain? Are you jealous?" he teased.

"Am not." he avoided Gray's eye contact. Deep down, he knew that wasn't the truth.

"You're lying."

"Do you actually think we can't tell? Maybe Jellal and Loke can't, but you can't fool us. You totally have the hots for that bunny girl. But then again you have the hots for almost every girl." Gajeel got up from the couch and crossed his arms in annoyance.

"Shut up Gajeel. I don't see Lucy as just any girl. She's different."

"You like her." Gray inched himself closer to Natsu and looked him dead in the eye, probably trying to intimidate him into admitting the truth.

"Gosh cut it out!" Natsu backed away.

"Can't do, bro. You were even mumbling her name in your sleep a few days ago. Don't try to tell me she doesn't get you all tingly in the stomach." Gray couldn't stop taunted his best friend and Gajeel was just laughing at Natsu's embarrassment.

Natsu sighed and sheepishly started admitting everything. "She just gets me really protective over her, you know? I can't help it. It would suck to see her hurt or in pain. I like to hear her laugh. And for some reason, I really want to be close to her all the time and know her better even though she's pretty weird." he began smiling to himself and blushing a little.

"I told you, you like her." Gray repeated once again.

"It's just... a small crush. Besides, Loke's loved her for years. I wouldn't be able to face him if I tried stealing her away. It's breaking the bro code."

"Who even sticks to the bro code? Gray and Juvia have a thing but I don't see Lyon giving a shit." Gajeel said.

"It's funny because Juvia and I don't actually have a thing." Gray muttered under his breath.

"Just forget it guys. I don't see me and Lucy happening anyway, she's too good for me. She deserves someone like Loke. We're just gonna be good friends!" Natsu held a thumbs up with his usual toothy grin.

Gajeel just let out a "Tch" and went to sleep while Gray sighed in disappointment. "If you say so."

 _Don't try to deny your feelings, Natsu._

* * *

The exam season was coming up and everyone in Fairy Tail High was of course making preparations. Studying their asses off, arranging consultation with teachers and even taking extra classes to hopefully squeeze more knowledge into their brains. Erza, the great student council president, has been going around checking on students. Constantly encouraging them to study more as if it wasn't enough already and catching people who were off goofing around at the basketball court. She had to ensure the reputation of Fairy Tail High was maintained, or the principal would be troubled. Her results have always been number 1, causing much envy to her friends. To people like Gray and Gajeel, she was like an angel sent from heaven during the exam season. They would get her to tutor them, which Erza doesn't mind at all. But for someone like Natsu, he refuses to get help from Erza. He claims that asking Erza for help was the equivalent of "digging his own grave". Stubborn guy. And his results weren't the best either. To be exact, he was the last in class. There was only one person he could turn to, Lucy Heartfilia. That's why, the 2 are gonna meet after school to go to Natsu's place for some serious tutoring.

"You better return me the favor next time, I'm sacrificing my study time for you Natsu!" Lucy huffed in annoyance, somewhat. Deep inside, she was willing to help him.

"I'm one to keep promises, so don't worry about it! You know you're my savior." Natsu swung his arm onto Lucy's shoulders, making her heart rate speed up. "But can we not take the bus? Just thinking about it makes me sick."

"Your place is a 30 minute walk away, Natsu. I don't know how you manage to walk to and fro everyday from school just to avoid taking transport."

"The ride's only 10 minutes but it's still torture..." he held onto his stomach and his face started turning purple.

"I can rub your head to make you feel better." Lucy smiled brightly. She took him by the hand and dragged him to the bus stop. "Come on the bus is here!"

The both of them got on the bus and needless to say, Natsu wanted to puke the moment they sat down. He leaned on Lucy's shoulder and buried his face in her neck. It made Lucy jump a little and she almost yelped out loud. His small breaths that escaped his nose tickled her skin and gave her goosebumps, he also rested his hand on her thigh. Other than the time when Natsu hugged her to sleep for the sake of keeping her warm, she's never been so physically close to him. Even though Natsu was a guy who had completely no sense of personal space, his touching usually just consists of small hand strokes or light pushes and he did it to all of his friends. It was only recently that he started touching Lucy more. Doing things like putting his arms around her, smelling her hair or _this_ , which Lucy didn't complain about. She liked that he was getting more and more comfortable with her, she didn't mind being close to him all the time. She turned her head to get a clearer view of him. He looked really cute when he was sleeping and it was funny that he kept making grumbling sounds, probably due to him being nauseous. Lucy looked at him with adoring eyes and unknowingly started caressing his face and running her fingers through his pink hair. It was soft despite how spiky it looked. Her face inched closer to his. She was tempted, so tempted. She snapped out of her thoughts when the bus suddenly jerked. _Oh no Lucy, stop imagining things. You can't do this with your friend._

She retracted her hand back to her side and looked out of the window. She felt stupid for letting herself go so easily. For the rest of the ride, Natsu just lay on her shoulder and Lucy tried to get her attention focused on something else, but she couldn't. They finally reached Natsu's place, which felt like forever of a ride to him. But to Lucy, it was way too fast. She wanted that moment to last just a teeny bit longer, no matter how much she denied it to herself. Natsu opened the door to let Lucy in. This was the second time coming to Natsu's place and it was still as much of a mess as it was the first time. Empty sweet wrappers and drink cans were lying everywhere, dirty plates stacked in the kitchen sink and unfolded bed sheets. The only chore that Natsu did was washing his clothes, otherwise he wouldn't have any clothes to wear. Happy was probably one of the luckiest cats in the world. It gets all the food it wants and lazes around all day. Natsu pampered his blue cat way too much. They got down to studying real quick, with Natsu wanting to slack off most of the time despite him being the one to ask for help. But Lucy wasn't planning on letting him have his way.

"That's not it! In this paragraph, it says that Zeref murdered his entire family and was sentenced to jail for a lifetime. He became crazy and started writing books about demons which were then published by a superstitious prison guard who was obsessed with mythical creatures 400 years ago."

Natsu pulled his hair in frustration and began yelling. "History studies are driving me nuts! Why does Zeref have the same last name as me anyway?!"

"Because you're both nuts?"

"Hey that wasn't funny!" Lucy burst out laughing as she successfully got his goat. Natsu just crossed his arms in annoyance.

A few hours passed and whilst studying, Natsu fell asleep. He's probably never studied for this long in his entire life and Lucy gave up on trying to make him concentrate anyway. She sighed at Natsu's laziness. _Well at least he tried._ He was sleeping so peacefully without any worry of the world. Lucy rested her chin on her fist. "If only I knew what was on your mind. You're complicated, you know?" Happy meowed at Lucy and rubbed it's paw against her ankle. She didn't even notice it there.

"You must know Natsu well huh?" she picked Happy up from the floor and started stroking it. It purred in response. "But it's not like you could tell me about him. You can't speak."

She placed Happy on the floor again and headed to the bathroom. On her way there, she walked past what seemed to be Natsu's bedroom. She'd only been in there once, when she got drunk and Natsu brought her here. But she didn't take notice of anything in his room the next morning as she felt too groggy. She couldn't get a clear view of it from the outside as the door was only half open. It seemed to be inviting her to just walk in and invade Natsu's privacy. She held the door knob and pushed the door inwards, opening it slightly when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. If Natsu found out that she went into his bedroom without his permission, he'd be pissed. Anyone would be. And she didn't want Natsu to be mad at her. But she was so curious. The entrance to Natsu's private life was just right there, it was so close and she might just find out what she always wanted to know about him. _A peak wouldn't hurt right?_ She opened the door and stepped in. It was a very simple room with things thrown around everywhere and messy bedsheets, as expected. This boy really didn't know how to do any cleaning on his own.

The first thing that caught Lucy's attention was his study table. There was a picture of a young Natsu together with a grown man. Lucy smiled at how cute Natsu was when he was little. He was sitting on this man's shoulders and smiling widely. This man had red hair and a muscular built. He had the same kind eyes as Natsu, but a scar across the right one. Who was this man? Was he Natsu's father, Igneel? Oh right, he passed away a long time ago. Lucy's heart ached for Natsu when she realized. Beside it, was a familiar box of chocolates. _Where have I seen this before?_ She noticed the small note stuck on the top of the box. _"Lucy's Valentine's Day chocolates!"_ Her eyes widened. He actually kept it all this time and never ate it. The chocolates were probably all melted by now, Lucy giggled at how stupid Natsu was. But yet, she never realized how much of a sentimental person he was. Yet another plus point. There were other gifts from his friends that Natsu kept and even though her's was just one of the many, it made her feel... important. To him _._

Her eyes shifted to his book shelf and when she took a closer look. There was a lone photo frame on one of the shelves. _I should be going out by now. But maybe just 5 more minutes?_ She took it in her hand and the moment she laid her eyes on the photo in it, her motion stopped. She could feel her heart getting squeezed by what seemed to be cold bare hands. It was a picture of Natsu and Lisanna. _Lisanna_. He had his arm around her shoulders and the brightest smile she had never seen on his face. She was hugging him by the waist, head resting on his chest comfortably and was smiling like that was the best moment of her life. They looked so happy together. What happened to them now? Natsu still kept this photo of them in his room which meant he was still looking at it every single day. It also meant Lisanna was still very important to him, contradicting the way he treats her. The thought of that made Lucy feel so sour. She felt inferior compared to Lisanna, despite how hard she tried to feel otherwise. Just awhile ago she was in seventh heaven because she felt important to him but it crumbled in mere seconds. How could she ever...

"What are you doing?"

The unexpected voice from behind caused Lucy to let go of the photo frame in shock. All she heard next was shattering glass.

* * *

 _ **How did I even manage to write 6000 words in 1 chapter?!**_

 _ **this has been a drama-filled chapter and I hope you guys are handling it well xD LoLu fans you can thank me now HAHAHA. G**_ _ **osh Lucy's so dense and Natsu is just complicated! Do you think she's gonna get into trouble? Leave some of your thoughts in the reviews it would be greatly appreciated :-D**_

 _ **like always, thank you guys SO SO MUCH for your support. It motivates me to continue the story and any criticism will be accepted! your ideas will be very helpful as well.**_

 _ **stay tuned for the next chapter! chant NALU with me come on NALU**_


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